Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty Continued Griffith's Work with S

Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty continued Griffith's work with S. pneumoniae and concluded that DNA was the hereditary material. If protein was the hereditary material instead of DNA, what would happen to mice after injection of heat-killed virulent bacteria mixed with live non-virulent bacteria after treatment with protease? ​

A) The mice would live. ​
B) The mice would die.
C) The mice would get sick but recover.
D) The mice would grow tumors.
E) The mice would degrade the protein.