Final answer:
The bacterial cell wall will weaken if a viral gene prevents peptidoglycan units from being linked to lipid carriers, leading to increased susceptibility to osmotic pressure and eventual cell lysis, consistent with the action of bacteriophages in the lytic cycle.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a viral gene prevents peptidoglycan units from being linked to lipid carriers, the most likely outcome is that the bacterial cell wall will weaken. Since peptidoglycan is crucial for maintaining the structural integrity and the strength of the bacterial cell wall, its synthesis being impeded would lead to a weakening of the cell wall. This compromise in the cell wall structure would render the cell more susceptible to osmotic pressure, which can lead to cell lysis.
Given the information, the correct answer would be 2) The cell wall will weaken, eventually leading to cell lysis. This is consistent with the action of certain bacteriophages during the lytic cycle, where phage-encoded endonucleases degrade the bacterial chromosome, and phage proteins such as holin or lysozyme may disrupt the bacterial cell wall to release new viruses.
This disruption does not lead the virus to enter the lysogenic cycle, nor does it change the properties of the bacterial cell to those of a gram-negative cell. These events are also not directly related to lipid metabolism but rather specifically target the structure and integrity of the cell wall.