Abstract
We investigated the use of high-voltage electric pulse to transform Fusarium solani and Aspergillus nidulans with DNA. This method involved exposure of fungal protoplasts, in the presence of vector DNA, to a high-amplitude exponential-decay electric pulse of short duration (up to 123 msec) delivered from a Gene Pulser apparatus. The effects of pulse amplitude and duration on transformation frequency and cell viability were evaluated. The optimal transformation is rapid, simple to perform, and avoids the use of toxic chemicals. It may also provide an alternative method of introducing foreign DNA into fungi that cannot be transformed by traditional methods.