Asked in FBISE Biology 2022 SLO — Paper 2 2022Moderate

Virologists have discovered how to put together a bacteriophage with protein coat of phage T2 and DNA of phage T4. If this composite phage were allowed to infect a bacterium, the phages produced in the host cell would have:

Correct answer: A. The protein of T2 and DNA of T4

  • A. The protein of T2 and DNA of T4
  • B. The protein of T4 and DNA of T2
  • C. The protein and DNA of T2
  • D. The protein and DNA of T4

Explanation

The phages produced in the host cell would have the protein coat of phage T2 and the DNA of phage T4. This is because the protein coat determines the external structure of the phage, while the DNA carries the genetic information. In this scenario, the protein coat of phage T2 would encapsulate the DNA of phage T4 during the assembly process. As a result, the offspring phages produced inside the bacterium would inherit the protein coat from T2 and the DNA from T4.

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