[1] The addition of calcium chloride to a cell suspension promotes the binding of plasmid DNA to lipopolysaccharides (LPS).
This may be accomplished by suspending bacteria in a solution with a high calcium concentration, which creates tiny holes in the bacterium's cells[citation needed].
[1] This binding occurs in view of the fact that the negatively charged DNA molecules and LPS form coordination complexes with the divalent cations.
[6] Natural competence sums up in three methods where bacteria can acquire DNA from their surroundings: conjugation, transformation, and transduction.
In cases where the DNA is extremely similar to the cell's own genetic material, DNA-repairing-enzymes recombine it with the chromosome instead.
This type of competence requires a laboratory process that creates conditions that do not often exist in nature so that cells can become permeable to DNA.
[9] Although the efficiency of transformation is often poor, this process is relatively simple and quick to be applied in bacterial genetic engineering.