Final answer:
Lysozyme is required to inject viral genetic material through the peptidoglycan layer of bacterial cell walls during bacteriophage infection. In biotechnology, restriction enzymes are used to create recombinant DNA and identify bacteria with the desired genetic insertions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The enzyme required to inject viral genetic material through the bacterial cell wall, specifically the peptidoglycan layer, is called lysozyme. This enzyme is utilized by certain viruses, known as bacteriophages, which infect bacterial cells. The lysozyme breaks down the peptidoglycan component of the bacterial cell wall, creating a small opening that allows the phage to inject its genetic material into the bacterial cytoplasm. This process is critical for the virus's life cycle, as the viral DNA or RNA must enter the host cell to commandeer the host's machinery for viral replication.
In research and biotechnology, enzymes like restriction enzymes are routinely used to manipulate genetic material, for example, to create recombinant DNA by cutting both foreign DNA and a plasmid with the same restriction enzyme. Applications such as manufacturing humulin or determining which bacteria have taken up recombinant plasmids on antibiotic plates, utilize these enzymes along with the concepts of bacterial transformation and antibiotic resistance.