Question

Predict the experimental outcome if Hershey and Chase had used a bacterial cell instead of a bacteriophage in the procedure.

1) Radioactivity would be detected in the supernatant but not in the pellet.
2) Radioactivity would be detected in the pellet but not in the supernatant.
3) Radioactivity would be detected in both the supernatant and pellet.
4) Radioactivity would be detected in neither the supernatant nor the pellet.

Answer 1

If Hershey and Chase had used a bacterial cell instead of a bacteriophage in the procedure, the radioactivity would be detected in both the supernatant and the pellet.

Step-by-step explanation:

If Hershey and Chase had used a bacterial cell instead of a bacteriophage in the procedure, the experimental outcome would be different. In their original experiment, they found that the radioactivity was detected in the pellet containing the bacterial cells when using ^32P-labeled phage DNA, and in the supernatant when using ^35S-labeled phage proteins. This indicated that the phage DNA was injected into the bacterial cell and carried information to produce more phage particles. However, in the case of a bacterial cell, the radioactivity would be detected in both the supernatant and the pellet, as the DNA and proteins are found within the cell.