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Competent and noncompetent bacteria are able to bind deoxyribonucleate (DNA). The consequence of this binding is different for the two types of bacteria. Competent bacteria are able to utilize the DNA for transformation. DNA exposed to noncompetent bacteria loses its biological activity with a coincident reduction in the double-stranded molecular weight. The reduction in molecular weight does not appear to be sufficient to account for the loss of biological activity observed.
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Florence P. Haseltine (1971) studied this question.
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