Question

How is transformation in bacteria most accurately described? assimilation of external dna into a cell the creation of a strand of rna from a dna molecule the creation of a strand of dna from an rna molecule the type of semiconservative replication shown by dna the infection of cells by a phage dna molecule?

Answer 1

The definition of transformation in bacteria is described by the first statement: transformation is the assimilation of external dna into the bacterial cell. In a more elaborate sense, transformation is described by the altering of the cell as a result of the uptake or intentional incorporation of dna from an external source. It is one of the three processes for horizontal gene transfer. The other two are transduction (infection of a phage), and conjugation (transfer of dna between two bacterial cells that are directly in contact).