F conjugation: back to the beginning.

Bacterial conjugation as mediated by the F plasmid has been a topic of study for the past 65 years. Early research focused on events that occur on the cell surface including the pilus and its phages, recipient cell receptors, mating pair formation and its prevention via surface or entry exclusion. This short review is a reminder of the progress made in those days that will hopefully kindle renewed interest in these subjects as we approach a complete understanding of the mechanism of conjugation.