Genome-wide screening of Escherichia coli genes involved in execution and promotion of cell-to-cell transfer of non-conjugative plasmids: rodZ (yfgA) is essential for plasmid acceptance in recipient cells

► Cell-to-cell transfer of non-conjugative plasmids occurs in Escherichia coli co-culture. ► We screened for “transfer-down mutants” using Keio knock-out mutants as recipients. ► Two essential genes (rodZ (=yfgA) and priA) and six promoting genes were obtained. ► The rodZ gene is not essential to artificial transformation. ► The priA gene is essential to artificial transformation.