Question

Hershey and Chase demonstrated that ___________ of a bacteriophage enters a host bacterial cell.

a)protein
b)DNA
c)RNA
d)lipid
e)carbohydrate

Answer 1

Hershey and Chase's experiment showed that DNA, and not protein, is the genetic material that bacteriophages inject into bacterial cells for viral reproduction.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hershey and Chase demonstrated that DNA of a bacteriophage enters a host bacterial cell. Their groundbreaking experiment utilized bacteriophages with distinct components labeled with radioactive isotopes—35S to tag the protein coat and 32P to label the DNA. Their findings provided confirmatory evidence that DNA was the genetic material responsible for heredity in phages, thereby influencing the broader scientific community's understanding of heredity.