This process involved the transfer of

DNA through a direct link between the bacterial cells.In some cases,

however, the F plasmid could integrate into the bacterial chromosome, and

conjugation could result in the transfer of chromosomal genes.In most cases, the act of conjugation

involved transfer of the plasmid alone, which became established in the recipient

cell thereby converting it from an F- to an F+ phenotype.The ability

of the cells to construct the pilus and pass DNA through it was encoded on a large

plasmid known as the F (for fertility) factor.In E. coli this conduit

between cells took the form of a proteinaceous tube known as a pilus.