Question

Identify all the types of nucleic acid genomes which have been discovered carried by various bacteriophages.

a.) dsDNA
b.) Both ss and ds DNA in a single phage
c.) Both RNA and DNA in a single phage
d.) ssRNA
e.) Both ss and ds RNA in a single phage
f.) dsRNA
g.) ssDNA

Answer 1

Various bacteriophages have been discovered with different types of nucleic acid genomes, including dsDNA, ssDNA, ssRNA, and dsRNA. Phages with RNA genomes replicate using an enzyme called RNA replicase.

Step-by-step explanation:

The types of nucleic acid genomes carried by various bacteriophages include:

• double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)
• single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)
• single-stranded RNA (ssRNA)
• double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)
• Both ssDNA and dsDNA in a single phage (though extremely rare and not typically observed)
• Both ssRNA and dsRNA in a single phage (also rare and not standard)
• Both RNA and DNA in a single phage (not yet discovered and would be unconventional)

Bacteriophages, or simply phages, may have different nucleic acid structures such as linear or circular, and these can be segmented. The RNA replication process for phages with RNA genomes, such as f2 and MS2, involves the enzyme RNA replicase, which creates identical RNA strands.