Question

Describe the Hershey and chase experiment. Write the conclusion drawn by the scientists after their experiment.

Answer 1

Alfred D. Hershey and Martha Chase (1952) used radioactive phosphorus (${}^{32}$P) and radioactive sulfur (${}^{35}$S) and showed that when bacteriophage T${}_2$ infects its host cell, Escherichia coli, the phosphorus-containing DNA of the viral particle, not the sulfur-containing protein of the viral coat, enters the host cell and serves the genetic information for viral replication. For the purpose, they blended phage and bacteria together just after infection in a normal kitchen appliance to remove the phage coat. Following this, the viral DNA entered bacterial cell. It was established that DNA serves as genetic material for viruses.