Efficient natural plasmid transformation of enables zero-capital molecular biology.

The fast-growing microbe is capable of natural transformation where it draws DNA in from media via an active process under physiological conditions. Using an engineered strain with a genomic copy of the master competence regulator from in combination with a new minimal competence media (MCM) that uses acetate as an energy source, we demonstrate naturally competent cells which are created, transformed, and recovered entirely in the same media, without exchange or addition of fresh media. Cells are naturally competent to plasmids, recombination with linear DNA, and cotransformation of both to select for scarless and markerless genomic edits.