In the 1920s, Frederick Griffith conducted an experiment in which he mixed the dead cells of a bacterial strain that can cause pneumonia with live cells of a bacterial strain that cannot. When he cultured the live cells, some of the daughter colonies proved able to cause pneumonia. Which of the following processes of bacterial DNA transfer does this experiment demonstrate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Griffith's experiment demonstrated the process of transformation, which is the transfer of genetic material (in this case, DNA) from a donor cell to a recipient cell. The dead cells of the virulent (pneumonia-causing) strain released their DNA, which was taken up by the live cells of the non-virulent strain, transforming them into virulent cells. Transduction involves the transfer of genetic material by a virus, while conjugation involves the transfer of genetic material through direct cell-to-cell contact via a conjugation bridge.

In the 1920s, Frederick Griffith Conducted an Experiment in Which