Alkaline phosphatase inhibits cloning in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Use of alkaline phosphatase to treat linearized vector DNAs inhibits recovery of recombinant plasmids during cloning in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Our understanding of the entry process leads us to expect this result for cloning in naturally competent Gram-positive bacteria, in which single-stranded segments of donor DNA enter after being cut on the surface of the cell.