Microbial geneticistsexploit transformation to move DNA (usually recombinant DNA) into cells.Because many species, including E. coli, are not naturally transformationcompetent, these bacteria must be made artifcially competent by certaintreatments. Two common techniques are electrical shock and exposure to calciumchloride. Both approaches render the cell membrane temporarily morepermeable to DNA, and both are used to transform E. coli cells that have beenmade artifcially competent. To increase the transformation frequency with E.coli, strains that lack one or more nucleases are used. Tese strains areespecially important when transforming the cells with linear DNA, which isvulnerable to attack by nucleases. It is easier to transform bacteria withplasmid DNA since plasmids can replicate within the host and are not as easilydegradedasarelinearfragments.