Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty continued Griffith's work with S. pneumoniae and concluded that DNA was the hereditary material. If protein were the hereditary material instead of DNA, what would happen to mice after injection of heat-killed virulent bacteria mixed with live non-virulent bacteria after treatment with protease?
A) The mice would live.
B) The mice would die.
C) The mice would get sick, but recover.
D) The mice would grow tumors.
E) The mice would degrade the protein.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If protein were the hereditary material, treating the mixture with protease (which breaks down proteins) would destroy the transforming principle. Since Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty's experiment showed that DNA is the hereditary material, the protease treatment would not affect the DNA that transforms non-virulent bacteria into virulent ones. However, if we hypothesize that protein was the hereditary material, then the protease would destroy the crucial transforming principle, and the live non-virulent bacteria would not be transformed into virulent forms. Therefore, the mice would live because there would be no transformation to virulence.

Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty Continued Griffith's Work with S