Finding a facile way for the bacterial DNA transformation by biosynthesized gold nanoparticles

The major problem encountered during genetic manipulation of bacteria is the inability to get transformed because of their natural non-competency. In this study, to overcome this problem, a cost-effective method was developed by combining the properties of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and the Yoshida effect. Various parameters, including GNP:plasmid ratio, pH and time, were optimized for stability of the GNP-plasmid conjugate. With non-competent Gram-negative cells, the efficiency ranged between 0.1 and 0.45 × 104 transformants μg-1, while the range was (0.02-0.2) × 104 transformants μg-1 with Gram-positive bacteria. GNPs can serve efficiently as a vehicle for better transformation in bacteria.