Suppose the actual transforming substance had been found to be protein and not DNA.Which scenario would be expected to produce a transformation that would cause mice to become sick?
A) Pure DNA from R cells added to S cells
B) Pure protein from R cells added to S cells
C) Pure DNA from S cells added to R cells
D) Pure protein from S cells added to R cells
E) Cellular-free extract from R cells added to S cells

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the transforming substance was a protein, then adding pure protein from S cells to R cells would be expected to produce a transformation that caused mice to become sick. This is because the protein from the virulent S cells could potentially contain a toxin or other harmful substance that could cause illness in the mice. The other choices (A, B, C, E) involve adding DNA, which would not be expected to produce a transformation if the transforming substance was actually a protein.

Suppose the Actual Transforming Substance Had Been Found to Be