
In microbiology, genetics, cell biology and molecular biology, competence is the ability of a cell to take up extracellular ("naked") DNA from its environment. Competence is distinguished into natural competence, a genetically specified ability of bacteria that is thought to occur under natural conditions as well as in the laboratory, and induced or artificial competence, arising when
cells in laboratory cultures are treated to make them transiently permeable to DNA.History · Mechanisms of DNA uptake · Regulation of competence · Evolutionary ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competent_cells