NEETZoologyMolecular Basis of Inheritance
What did the digestion with DNase indicate about the transforming principle?
Options
- AThe transforming principle was RNA
- BThe transforming principle was a protein
- CThe transforming principle was DNA
- DThe transforming principle was a lipid
Correct answer
C. The transforming principle was DNA
Step-by-step solution
Prior to the work of Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod and Maclyn McCarty (1933-44), the genetic material was thought to be a protein. They worked to determine the biochemical nature of ‘transforming principle’ in Griffith's experiment. They purified biochemicals (proteins, DNA, RNA, etc.) from the heat-killed S cells to see which ones could transform live R cells into S cells. They discovered that DNA alone from S bacteria caused R bacteria to become transformed. They also discovered that protein-digesting enzymes (prot