Question

Give an account of Hershey-Chase experiment proving that DNA and not the protein coat of the virus is the infecting agent.
How is transformation different from transduction?

Answer 1

Hershey and Chase did a series of experiments where they took the bacteriophages with radioactive sulphur and phosphorus. These bacteriophages were they allowed to infect the bacteria. The bacteria that were infected by the radioactive phosphorous bacteriophages had that radioactive phosphorous in their DNA but not the sulphur. This proved that DNA is the genetic material.

transformation is a process when a bacteria acquire extra genetic material or DNA from the surrounding environment. The transformation was proved by the experiment of Frederick Griffith.

Transduction is a process in which a virus infects bacteria and some of the bacterial DNA is acquired by the viral capsules. Now, this virus when it infects another bacterium which transfers the DNA of the previous bacteria on to the new bacteria.