Transfection
The discovery of transformation showed that large molecular weight DNA can readily penetrate the cell walls of competent bacteria. Later in 1957, Fraenkel Conrat and ors showed that the purified RNA from the tobacco mosaic virus was also infective. Since then, there are many examples of the infective properties of nucleic acids.
Foldes and Trautner in 1964 were the first to show that protoplasts of bacteria can also be infected with purified nucleic acids and to this they gave the Dame "Transfection". Only competent cells were found to be sensitive and the infection was sensitive to DNase. Since then this phenomenon has been established also in other bacteria
