Final answer:
Specialized transduction involves the transfer of specific host DNA adjacent to a viral integration site due to imprecise prophage excision, leading to lysogenic conversion, whereas regular lysogeny involves the integration and passive replication of viral DNA without transferring host genetic material.
Step-by-step explanation:
Differences Between Specialized Transduction and Lysogeny
In specialized transduction, a specific piece of bacterial chromosomal DNA near the site of viral integration is transferred by a phage, while in lysogenic conversion, a phage integrates its DNA into the host genome without transferring host DNA. Specialized transduction occurs due to imprecise excision of the prophage from the bacterial chromosome during the induction of the lytic cycle. This results in the phage taking adjacent bacterial genes along with its own DNA when it assembles new virions. Conversely, regular lysogeny involves the integration of phage DNA into the host genome without disrupting host genetic material, which is then replicated along with the bacterial host cell's DNA during regular cell division.
Specialized transduction uniquely contributes to lysogenic conversion where the bacterium acquires new genetic traits from the transferred DNA, which may include pathogenic traits or antibiotic resistance. By contrast, lysogeny can result in the prophage being replicated over generations of bacterial cells without immediately contributing new genetic traits.
Therefore, the key difference between specialized transduction and regular lysogeny is the transfer of host genetic material adjacent to the prophage during viral replication in the former, compared to the passive replication of viral DNA within the host genome in the latter.