Which process uses bacteriophage to transfer DNA?

Which process uses bacteriophage to transfer DNA?

• A. Conjugation
• B. Transformation
• C. Mutation
• D. Transduction

Answer: (D)

Transduction is the process by which a bacteriophage transfers bacterial DNA from one cell to another. In generalized transduction, during phage replication, fragments of the host’s DNA are mistakenly packaged into phage heads instead of phage genomes. The phage then infects a new bacterium and introduces that donor DNA, which can recombine into the recipient’s chromosome. In specialized transduction, a temperate phage integrates into the bacterial genome as a prophage and, when it excises, may carry adjacent bacterial genes with it to the next infection. This phage-mediated transfer is a form of horizontal gene transfer and can spread various genes between bacteria, including those for virulence or antibiotic resistance. Conjugation involves direct contact between bacterial cells and transfer of DNA through a mating bridge or sex pilus, typically with plasmids. Transformation requires uptake of free DNA from the environment by a competent cell. Mutation is a change in the DNA sequence itself, not a transfer process between cells.

Transduction is the process by which a bacteriophage transfers bacterial DNA from one cell to another. In generalized transduction, during phage replication, fragments of the host’s DNA are mistakenly packaged into phage heads instead of phage genomes. The phage then infects a new bacterium and introduces that donor DNA, which can recombine into the recipient’s chromosome. In specialized transduction, a temperate phage integrates into the bacterial genome as a prophage and, when it excises, may carry adjacent bacterial genes with it to the next infection. This phage-mediated transfer is a form of horizontal gene transfer and can spread various genes between bacteria, including those for virulence or antibiotic resistance.

Conjugation involves direct contact between bacterial cells and transfer of DNA through a mating bridge or sex pilus, typically with plasmids. Transformation requires uptake of free DNA from the environment by a competent cell. Mutation is a change in the DNA sequence itself, not a transfer process between cells.