Question

What is the name given to the process when the viral nucleic acid is incorporated into a bacterial chromosome to become an integral part of it?
A. Transformation
B. Reverse transcription
C. Lysogeny
D. Transduction

Answer 1

Hint: Special forms of viruses also use this mechanism to ensure viral replication, but they also require the second main viral reproduction system, the lytic cycle, as well. The lytic cycle ends in the actual death of the cell that has been contaminated.

Complete answer:
- Nucleic acid is found in all real viruses, including DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) or RNA (ribonucleic acid) and protein. The nucleic acid encodes the special genetic data for each virus. The viral, extracellular type of a virus (outside the cell) is called the virion.
- Transformation involves one of many mechanisms by which genetic material is passed between microbial cells in the form of 'naked' deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Reverse transcription means the mechanism of cells by which a clone of DNA from RNA is produced by an enzyme.
- The DNA-copying enzyme is called reverse transcriptase and is present in retroviruses. Lysogeny is a type of life cycle which takes place when certain types of bacteria are infected by a bacteriophage. In this process, the bacteriophage genome incorporates into the host bacterial chromosome and replicates therein.
- Transduction is a method in which a bacterial genetic recombination process entails introducing genes from a host cell into the genome of a bacterial virus and then carrying them to another host cell.

Hence the correct answer is option (C) Lysogeny.

Note: The CTXφ virus is an example of a virus that can facilitate the transformation of bacteria through lysogeny from a non-toxic to a toxic strain. In fact, following infection with the bacteriophage, the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, is converted into a toxic strain.