Question

Which of the following statements best represents the central conclusion of the Hershey-Chase experiments?

A) DNA is the identity of the hereditary material in phage T2.
B) When radioactive sulfur is supplied in a growth medium, it is primarily DNA that incorporates radioactive label.
C) Some viruses can infect bacteria.
D) Phage T2 is capable of replicating within a bacterial host.

Answer 1

The Hershey-Chase experiments proved that DNA is the primary hereditary material, as only the radioactive phosphorus indicating DNA presence was found within infected bacterial cells, not the radioactive sulfur that would suggest protein involvement.

Step-by-step explanation:

The central conclusion of the Hershey-Chase experiments is that DNA is the identity of the hereditary material in phage T2. In their experiments, they used radioactive sulfur (35S) and radioactive phosphorus (32P) to label the bacteriophage's protein coat and DNA respectively. They found that after allowing phages to infect bacteria and separating the phages from the bacteria, the 32P (DNA) was found inside the bacteria, while the 35S (protein) was not, indicating that it was DNA, not protein, that entered the bacterial cells and hence was the hereditary material.