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Your bacteria of interest has a CRISPR system. If one of its great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent cells was exposed to and survived infection by a particular virus, will that bacteria be able to survive another infection attempt by the same virus?

a) Yes, due to innate immunity
b) No, the CRISPR system only works once
c) Yes, due to acquired immunity
d) No, CRISPR does not confer immunity

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The bacteria will likely survive another infection by the same virus due to the acquired immunity provided by the CRISPR system, which integrates segments of the viral DNA into the bacterial genome as a memory of past infections.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a bacterium has a CRISPR system and one of its ancestors survived an infection by a particular virus, it is likely that the bacterium would survive another infection attempt by the same virus. This is because the CRISPR system provides a form of acquired immunity.

The CRISPR/Cas system acts by integrating segments of viral DNA into the bacterial genome. These segments, known as spacers, serve as a genetic memory of past infections. If the same virus attempts to infect the bacteria again, the CRISPR system uses RNA derived from these spacers to guide Cas proteins to the viral DNA, leading to its destruction and protecting the bacteria from the infection. Hence, the bacteria "remember" the infectious agent and are equipped to fight it off, similar to how the adaptive immune system works in higher organisms.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is: c) Yes, due to acquired immunity.

User Eduardo Herzer
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