Bacteria are a commonly used organism for studies of genetic material in the research laboratory.The nucleic acids must first be isolated from the cells for these studies.Which of the following would most likely be used to remove the cell wall from gram-positive bacterial cells prior to their lysis for nucleic acid isolation?
A)lysozyme
B)polymixins
C)alcohol
D)water
E)mycolic acid

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lysozyme is an enzyme that specifically targets the peptidoglycan cell wall of bacteria. It is often used to break down the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria prior to nucleic acid isolation. Polymixins are antibiotics that disrupt the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, and alcohol or water would not be as effective at specifically targeting the cell wall. Mycolic acid is a component of the cell wall of some bacteria, including members of the genus Mycobacterium, but is not present in all gram-positive bacteria.

Bacteria Are a Commonly Used Organism for Studies of Genetic