Question

Which of the following statements about transformation is correct?

A. Transformation is a natural process that has evolved in some species of bacteria.
B. Transformation occurs only in bacteria that have been genetically engineered.
C. Transformation is a natural process that occurs in some types of eukaryotic cells, but not in bacteria.

Answer 1

Transformation is a natural process where a prokaryote takes up DNA from its environment and incorporates it into its own chromosome, potentially changing its characteristics.

So, the correct answer is C.

Step-by-step explanation:

In transformation, the prokaryote takes up DNA found in its environment that is shed by other prokaryotes. If a nonpathogenic bacterium takes up DNA for a toxin gene from a pathogen and incorporates the new DNA into its own chromosome, it too may become pathogenic. In transduction, bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria, sometimes also move short pieces of chromosomal DNA from one bacterium to another. Transduction results in a recombinant organism. Archaea are not affected by bacteriophages but instead have their own viruses that translocate genetic material from one individual to another. In conjugation, DNA is transferred from one prokaryote to another by means of a pilus, which brings the organisms into contact with one another. The DNA transferred can be in the form of a plasmid or as a hybrid, containing both plasmid and chromosomal DNA. These three processes of DNA exchange are shown in Figure 22.17.

So, the correct answer is C.