Final answer:
RNA carries the genetic material in Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), which was critical in the study of viruses and their genetic mechanisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The genetic material in Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) is carried by RNA, not protein. TMV was a pivotal virus in understanding the fundamental nature of viruses and their role in diseases. This virus is composed of both a protein coat and genetic material, which is RNA in this case. The RNA genome is the complete set of genetic information for the virus and is used for the production of new viral particles once it enters a host cell.
Historically, experiments by scientists such as Martha Chase and Alfred Hershey in 1952 confirmed that genetic material was not protein but DNA in bacteriophages. However, unlike these bacteriophages, TMV is an RNA virus and does not involve DNA in its replication process. Therefore, it is RNA that carries the genetic information in TMV, allowing it to hijack the host's cellular machinery for replication.