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Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Rapid Protocol for Preparation of Electrocompetent Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae
Published on: October 8, 2013
Frequency-dependent ultrasound-induced transformation in E. coli
Jeremy Deeks1, James Windmill, Maduka Agbeze-Onuma
1Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow, G1 1XJ, UK, jeremydeeks@yahoo.com.
Abstract:
Ultrasound-enhanced gene transfer (UEGT) is continuing to gain interest across many disciplines; however, very few studies investigate UEGT efficiency across a range of frequencies. Using a variable frequency generator, UEGT was tested in E. coli at six ultrasonic frequencies. Results indicate frequency can significantly influence UEGT efficiency positively and negatively. A frequency of 61 kHz improved UEGT efficiency by ~70 % higher, but 99 kHz impeded UEGT to an extent worse than no ultrasound exposure. The other four frequencies (26, 133, 174, and 190 kHz) enhanced transformation compared to no ultrasound, but efficiencies did not vary. The influence of frequency on UEGT efficiency was observed across a range of operating frequencies. It is plausible that frequency-dependent dynamics of mechanical and chemical energies released during cavitational-bubble collapse (CBC) are responsible for observed UEGT efficiencies.
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