What is transformation in genetics?

Question

Ok so I recently had a test question in my genetics class that went like this:
Which of the following is an example of transformation in a cell?
a) Direct uptake, incorporation and expression of exogenous genetic material (exogenous DNA) from its surroundings.
b) Conjugation
c) Transduction
d) sex
e) all the above

I answered A, it is the exact definition of transformation in ever science book I own but my teacher told me the right answer is e) all the above but when I asked him why he just said because it I said so in the notes. Am I missing something or is he just wrong because I can't seem to find any information that would lead me to believe conjugation or transduction are the same as transformation.

Answer 1

Transformation is essentially when a bacterium incorporates DNA into its own genome and expresses it accordingly. Your teacher is incorrect in it being the same mechanism as conjugation or sex. Conjugation involves a pair of living bacteria physically swapping plasmids. Sex involves usage of a pair of gametes to form a zygote. And transduction is when a bacteria is artificially influenced (usually through electric shock) to absorb foreign DNA.



Besides, any teacher who responds to a query by saying "It says so in the notes" can't really be trusted to form a good opinion. Sounds like he's just flying blind, and doesn't really know what he's talking about.

Answer 2

Transformation Biology Definition

Answer 3

Transformation Definition Biology

Answer 4

I would STRONGLY disagree with your instructor. Conjugation, transduction and transformation are three different mechanisms by which bacteria can gain new genetic information. I would agree that A is the only correct answer.



Perhaps he is using his own definition for transformation as "any process that changes the genetic capability of a cell". You would have to look back in your notes and see how he defined it. I would, though, suggest that you not go into future classes using his definition.

Answer 5

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If you really mean "transformation", the insertion of new genes into an organism via direct uptake (such as putting DNA into the culture medium of bacteria, electroporation or the use of "gene guns") is called "genetic transformation". Transforming bacteria with repeating DNA sequences could have been used to discover codons and to decode the genetic code. For example, if piece of synthetic DNA with the base pair "G" repeated over and over is inserted into bacteria, they start to manufacture a new protein consisting entirely of long chains of the amino acid glycine. One would then know that the code for glycine consists entirely of G. Eventually substituting different repeating segments of longer and longer sequences it would be deduced that triplets of base pairs represent the codons for specific amino acids. [This turns out not to be how codons were decoded. The triplet hypothesis was arrived at via deduction and information theory. 3 base pairs are the minimum required to encode all 21 amino acids. The actual mapping of the code was done in cell-free transcription systems in vitro using synthetic tRNA with known repeating sequences of base pair tripets to drive transcription.] --- Apparently transformation was used before the existence of DNA was known. Exposing bacteria to digested cells of other bacteria changed them. This led to the hypothesis that there was some sort of information storage in cells. Later work isolated different fractions of cells and found that extracted DNA was responsible for changing the bacteria.

Answer 6

a) Direct uptake, incorporation and expression of exogenous genetic material (exogenous DNA) from its surroundings.

Answer 7

The easy answer is: An organism gains DNA from its environment.