The effect of Waring Blendor treatment on transformation in Bacillus subtilis

Treatment of competent Bacillus subtilis in a Waring Blendor for 10 s increases transformability of the culture about twofold while reducing the attachment of DNA to competent cells by 80%. The effectiveness of attached DNA in producing transformants is increased 10-fold by this treatment. The uptake of transforming DNA into a DNase-resistant state is progressively reduced by 70% during a 120-s blending treatment. Blending for 30-45 s diminishes transformability to about 10% of the original nonblended value without affecting the viable cell titer. No effect is produced by 30 s of blending on transformability if the irreversible uptake of DNA has been completed. Thus, the inhibition occurs at an early step in the transformation sequence. Treatment of the competent culture for 60 s or longer in the Waring Blendor reduces both the number of transformants obtained and the total number of viable cells.