Which process is defined as the transfer of genetic material between bacteria via a bacterial virus?

Which process is defined as the transfer of genetic material between bacteria via a bacterial virus?

• A. Conjugation
• B. Transduction
• C. Transformation
• D. Electroporation

Answer: (B)

Transduction is the transfer of genetic material between bacteria via a bacteriophage. In this process, a phage infects a donor cell and, by mistake, packages some of the host’s DNA into a phage particle instead of its own viral genome. That phage then infects a new, recipient bacterium and introduces the donor DNA, which can recombine with the recipient’s chromosome. This viral-mediated shuttling of DNA is what distinguishes transduction from other DNA transfer methods. Conjugation requires direct cell-to-cell contact and a mating bridge, transformation involves uptake of free DNA from the environment, and electroporation is a laboratory technique used to permeabilize membranes to introduce DNA.

Transduction is the transfer of genetic material between bacteria via a bacteriophage. In this process, a phage infects a donor cell and, by mistake, packages some of the host’s DNA into a phage particle instead of its own viral genome. That phage then infects a new, recipient bacterium and introduces the donor DNA, which can recombine with the recipient’s chromosome. This viral-mediated shuttling of DNA is what distinguishes transduction from other DNA transfer methods. Conjugation requires direct cell-to-cell contact and a mating bridge, transformation involves uptake of free DNA from the environment, and electroporation is a laboratory technique used to permeabilize membranes to introduce DNA.