Transformation is the process by which a fragment of naked DNA is bound and taken up by a bacterial cell. Transformation can be a natural process or artificially induced. Back to top of page. Not all cells can be transformed. Only competent cells can take up DNA, i.e. are able to bind the DNA to their surface and pass it through the cell envelope.
Cells become naturally competent at a certain point in the growth cycle.
During this phase, cell proteins that cause DNA to be taken up and processed are induced. Double stranded DNA binds to the cell surface, one strand is taken up as linear DNA, the other is degraded. Back to top of page. The chromosome inevitably breaks up into smaller fragments. It is a random process in that any portion of the genome may be transformed.