In Seymour Benzer's studies,if he mixed two RII phage together co- infection studies in K12 and the resulting phage always failed to lyse K12______ .
A)the two mutants were in different cistrons
B)the two mutants failed to infect bacteria
C)the two mutants were in the same cistron
D)the two mutants complemented each other
E)the two mutants represented mutations in both A and B

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the two mutants were in different cistrons, then they would be able to complement each other and still produce phage that could infect and lyse K12. If the mutants failed to infect bacteria, then they would not produce any phage at all. If the mutants complemented each other, then they would be able to produce phage that could infect and lyse K12. Therefore, the only remaining option is that the two mutants were in the same cistron and thus were unable to produce functional phage that could infect and lyse K12.

In Seymour Benzer's Studies,if He Mixed Two RII Phage Together