Nature of the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid requirement for transformation of Bacillus subtilis with single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid

The ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) requirement for transformation of Bacillus subtilis with single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) was examined. The results indicate that a chelating agent such as EDTA is a stringent requirement for transformation with single DNA strands only at nonsaturating DNA concentrations, and that EDTA, when required, must be present during several steps in the transformation process and appears to insure the survival of single-stranded DNA by rendering a nuclease in competent populations inactive.