Final answer:
Eukaryotic genes can be expressed by bacteria through the use of plasmids in recombinant DNA technology. These plasmids carry the eukaryotic genetic material and can replicate and be passed on to the bacterial offspring, ensuring the eukaryotic genes are maintained in the progeny. The correct answer to the statement is 'D) Plasmids'.
Step-by-step explanation:
The direct evidence that DNA is the genetic material in eukaryotes comes from recombinant DNA technology, where eukaryotic genes can be expressed in bacteria using vectors such as plasmids and then distributed to daughter cells as DNA.
Using recombinant DNA technology, scientists can extract DNA from one organism and introduce it into another organism, often using plasmids as carriers. This has been a revolutionary technique for both research and the development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that can produce beneficial proteins, hormones, or vaccines. In these processes, bacterial cells can take up recombinant plasmids, propagate the foreign DNA, and pass it on to their offspring, thereby maintaining the expression of eukaryotic genes within a prokaryotic host.
Eukaryotic cells can also employ transfection methods to introduce recombinant DNA, leading to the creation of transgenic plants and animals designed for agricultural or pharmaceutical applications. The underlying principle that makes all of this possible is the universal nature of the genetic code and the conservation of the fundamental processes of transcription and translation across different species.
The correct option for the statement "eukaryotic genes can be expressed by and distributed to daughter cells as DNA" is (D) Plasmids.