(A) Chromosomal transformation frequencies in wildtype, dprA, recO and dprA recO mutant cells. Saturating concentration of R304 chromosomal DNA as donor (1 µg mL−1). Recipient strains: wild type, R1521; recO mutant, R3424; dprA mutant, R3426; dprA-recO double mutant, R3428. Error bars calculated from duplicate repeats. (B) Chromosomal transformation frequencies in wild type, recF, recO and recR mutant cells. Recipient strains: wild type, R1502; recF mutant, R2371; recO mutant, R2372, recR mutant, R2373. Donor DNA and selection for StrR transformants as in panel A, as well as selection for RifR transformants. (C) Impact of recO inactivation on transformation with a unique PCR fragment as donor. Transformation with a 4.2-kb rpsL41 (StrR) PCR fragment as donor (0.3 µg mL−1). Same recipient strains as in panel A. Error bars calculated from duplicate repeats.