Question

Explain the observations that led Zinder and Lederberg to conclude that the prototrophs recovered in their transduction experiments were not the result of Hfr-mediated conjugation.

Short answer

Answer: Zinder and Lederberg concluded that the prototrophs recovered in their experiments were a result of transduction and not Hfr-mediated conjugation because they observed that: 1) the recovery of prototrophs only occurred when bacteriophages were present, 2) no prototrophs were recovered in control experiments without bacteriophages, and 3) prototrophs could still be recovered even when a physical barrier was present between the donor and recipient strains, which would prevent direct cell-to-cell contact required for Hfr-mediated conjugation.

Step-by-step solution

Understand Hfr-mediated conjugation

Hfr-mediated conjugation is a type of genetic recombination in bacteria where a "high frequency of recombination" (Hfr) strain transfers genetic information to another bacterial cell through the formation of a conjugation bridge. This process occurs between an Hfr cell and another cell called a "recipient cell," which has mutations that can potentially be complemented by the Hfr cell's functional genes.

Understand transduction in bacteria

Transduction is another type of genetic recombination in bacteria, but it is mediated by bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) instead of a direct physical connection between two bacterial cells. During transduction, the bacteriophage picks up genetic information from a donor bacterial cell and introduces it into a recipient bacterial cell. This can result in the recipient cell gaining new genetic information, which can potentially complement its mutated genes and restore its function.

Zinder and Lederberg's transduction experiments

Zinder and Lederberg conducted a series of experiments in which they mixed two different strains of bacteria: one auxotrophic strain requiring specific nutrients to grow (the recipient strain) and one prototrophic strain with all necessary genes to produce essential biomolecules (the donor strain). Their goal was to test if prototrophs could be recovered, meaning that the recipient strain had gained the necessary genetic information to grow without the need for specific nutrients.

Observations leading to the conclusion

In their experiments, Zinder and Lederberg observed the following: 1. The recovery of prototrophs only occurred when the donor strain and recipient strain were mixed in the presence of bacteriophages. 2. In control experiments where bacteriophages were not present, no prototrophs were recovered. 3. The presence of a physical barrier, such as a filter, between the donor and recipient strains did not prevent the recovery of prototrophs, as long as bacteriophages could still pass through the barrier. These observations led Zinder and Lederberg to conclude that the prototrophs recovered in their transduction experiments were not the result of Hfr-mediated conjugation, because: 1. Hfr-mediated conjugation requires direct cell-to-cell contact, but their experiments showed that prototrophs could still be recovered even when a physical barrier was present. 2. The dependence on bacteriophages for the recovery of prototrophs indicated that the genetic transfer was occurring through a process involving these viruses, which is transduction, rather than through direct cell contact in Hfr-mediated conjugation.