Molecular Basis Of Inheritance Question 7
Question: Unequivocal proof that DNA is the genetic material was first proposed by
(1) Frederick Griffith
(2) Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase
(3) Avery, Macleoid and McCarthy
(4) Wilkins and Franklin
Show Answer
Answer: (2) Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase
Explaination-
In the Hershey and Chase experiment, radioactive phosphorus (32P) and and radioactive sulphur (32S) was used to culture bacteriophages. These bacteriophages were then made to infect bacterial cells. It was seen that the bacterial cells contained radioactive viral DNA, but not radioactive viral protein because DNA contains phosphorous, but protein does not. Hence this experiment proved that the DNA, and not protein, is the genetic material passed from the virus to bacteria.
