Question

Which of the following statements about cotransformation is true?

A) Nonlinked genes are passed simultaneously from one cell to another.
B) The F factor plus a few chromosomal genes are passed from one cell to another.
C) Two bacterial cells within a culture are transformed by the same bacteriophage.
D) A bacterial cell receives two adjacent genes on a single piece of DNA from the medium.

Answer 1

Cotransformation involves a bacterial cell receiving two adjacent genes on a single piece of DNA from the environment, through the process known as transformation, distinct from conjugation where DNA is transferred via a pilus.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement about cotransformation is D) A bacterial cell receives two adjacent genes on a single piece of DNA from the medium. In the process of transformation, a prokaryote takes in DNA found in its environment that has been shed by other prokaryotes. For instance, if a nonpathogenic bacterium takes up DNA for a toxin gene from a pathogenic bacterium and incorporates the new DNA into its own chromosome, it could become pathogenic.

Conjugation is different, where DNA is directly transferred from one prokaryote to another through a pilus, bringing the organisms into contact. Notably, Hfr cells may attempt to transfer a copy of the bacterial chromosome to a recipient F- cell, and any chromosomal DNA near the F plasmid integration site is more likely to be transferred. Although the entire chromosome is rarely transferred due to the transient nature of conjugation, the recipient cell can receive and express some genes.