What is the difference between transfection and transduction

Chemical mediated transfection uses calcium phosphate, cationic polymers, or liposomes. The non-chemical based transfection uses electroporation, impalefection, sonoporation, optical transfection or hydrodynamic delivery. The particle-based transfection uses the gene gun technique where the foreign DNA is transferred with the use of a nanoparticle.

Magnetofection and nucleofection are the other two methods of particle-based transfection. In magnetofection, the particles that carry foreign DNA are concentrated into the host cell with the help of a magnetic field. In nucleofection, a heat shock is used to transfer foreign DNA into the host cell. Transduction is another method of gene transfer in which the genetic material is deliberately introduced into another cell with the help of viral vectors. Here, viral vectors are used as a tool to introduce foreign DNA to the target organism.

The four types of viral vectors used in transduction are retroviruses , lentiviruses , adenoviruses, and adeno-associated viruses. Transduction is achieved through the typical viral reproduction mechanisms. Lysogenic cycle and lytic cycle are the two methods of viral reproduction.

The lytic cycle is then can be induced by external factors such as UV light. This causes the lysis of the host cell, releasing new viral particles. During this process, both viral and host genes can be exchanged between the two genomes. Transduction can be done by two different methods based on the type of genetic material that is going to be transferred.

They are generalized transduction and specialized transduction. Electroporation on the other hand uses electrical pulses to create transient pores in the cell membrane that genetic material can pass through. Baltrus, David A. Bacterial Conjugation. In An Introduction to Genetic Analysis. Meibom, Karin L. Topics: Plasmids , Plasmids. Add Comment. Addgene is a nonprofit plasmid repository. We archive and distribute high quality plasmids from your colleagues.

Transformation Transformation is the uptake of genetic material from the environment by bacterial cells. Though bacteria don't exactly "eat" plasmids as depicted in this comic, when a bacterium uptakes a plasmid, the genes on the plasmid can give them different phenotypes. For example, this plasmid encodes a green fluorescent protein gene which makes the bacterium fluoresce green.

Comic by Maya Kostman. Bacterial conjugation Conjugation was the first extensively studied method of gene transfer and was discovered in by Joshua Lederberg and Edward Tatum when they observed genetic recombination between two nutritional deficient E. Bacterial conjugation as explained by the "I made this" meme! Sharing science just got easier Subscribe to our blog. Gene transfer using a chemical carrier is called transfection Transfection of DNA or RNA into animal cells has to be restricted to non-viral systems that transiently open pores into the cell membrane to permit the entry of nucleic acids.

Transduction means gene transfer using viral vector carriers If DNA or RNA is introduced into cells by using viral vector carriers, then the technique is called Transduction, and the resulting cells are said to be transduced! Transfection and transduction methods are optimal for different types of experiments Both transfection and transduction can lead to a transient or stable expression of DNA into cells, depending on the method or the viral tool.

If a stable expression is required to maintain the foreign nucleic acid sequence in the genome of the cells and its daughter cells, then there are two options: Co-transfect cells with a marker gene, which gives the cell some selectable advantage, such as resistance or labeling Use a lentiviral vector to transduce target cells which naturally integrates its DNA into the host cell genome in a random manner.

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