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Transformation is the process of introducing foreign DNA (often a recombinant plasmid ligated with the gene of interest) into bacterial cells. In order to take up foreign DNA, the bacterial cells must first be made competent. This can be done by treating bacteria with CaCl2 prior to transformation, as CaCl2 destabilizes the bacterial cell membrane, forming small pores through which the foreign DNA can be taken up. It also allows DNA to bind to the bacterial cell wall. There are two methods of transformation: heat shock, in which the competent bacterial cells and plasmids are subjected to brief heat shock, opening up the pores in the bacterial cell membrane, and allowing it to take up the plasmid, and electroporation, in which the competent bacterial cells and plasmids are subjected to electrical shock instead of heat shock. In order to select for the bacteria that have successfully been transformed and taken up the plasmid, the bacteria are grown on agar plates with growth medium to which an antibiotic is added. Plasmids can carry one or more resistance genes for antibiotics, such as ampicillin, kanamycin, and chloramphenicol. Successfully transformed bacteria will express the antibiotic resistance gene, allowing the bacteria to resist the antibiotic when exposed to it, while bacteria which have not been successfully transformed will not express the antibiotic resistance gene and hence will not survive.