How to Cite
Abstract
There is little known about the mechanism of DNA heat shock transformation. Although there are a number of speculations as to how this occurs, no model has been fully analyzed or explained yet. Furthermore, the role of heat shock in the protocol is not identified either. In this report, different types of inhibitors were introduced separately into competent cells Escherichia coli DH5 α before heat shock. In this manner, we attempted to prove that transformation efficiency is enhanced by protein production during heat shock and also to narrow down the possible regulation mechanism(s). Success rates of DNA transformation were assessed by selective and non-selective plating methods. It was found that the success rates of DNA transformation were improved by protein synthesis during heat shock. Also, there was evidence that the protein(s) involved are likely to be regulated at the translational rather than at the transcriptional level. Our results are in agreement with the molecular 32 model on the regulation of heat shock σ regulons. However, additional experiments are 32 required to further investigate whether or not the proteins involved are truly σ -related, and the exact mechanism of heat shock transformation remains to be studied.