Genetics Essentials Concepts and

Connections 3rd Edition Pierce Test

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1. Which of the following facts would NOT be considered as an advantage for using
bacteria and viruses for genetic studies?
A) Rapid reproduction and high progeny number
B) Haploid genome for expressing mutations
C) Complete absence of recombination, which maintains the integrity of genome
D) Low cost to maintain and little storage space required
E) Genomes being small and readily subjected to genetic manipulation

2. Bacterial mutants that require supplemental nutrients in their growth media are called:
A) autotrophs.
B) heterotrophs.
C) prototrophs.
D) omnitrophs.
E) auxotrophs.

3. Which of the following statements about nutritional requirement and growth of bacteria
is NOT true?
A) Culture media developed for bacteria must contain carbon source and essential
elements for the survival of the bacteria.
B) Auxotrophic mutants can grow on medium that lack carbon source because they
can synthesize their own nutrients.
C) Each bacterium has specific nutritional needs and conditions for successful
cultivation.
D) Prototrophic bacterial strains can grow on minimal media.
E) The growth rate of bacteria on specific media can be assessed by the number and
size of bacterial colonies.

4. Bacterial strains that can produce all the necessary compounds and therefore grow on
minimal media are called:
A) autotrophs.
B) heterotrophs.
C) prototrophs.
D) omnitrophs.
E) auxotrophs.

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5. _____ medium contains all of the substances required by bacteria for growth and
reproduction.
A) Minimal
B) Complete
C) Auxotrophic
D) Selective
E) Liquid

6. _____ solidifies when cooled and provides a solid, gel-like base for bacterial growth.
A) Broth
B) Agar
C) Colony
D) Liquid
E) Velvet

7. _____ is used to isolate mutant bacterial strains on the basis of their nutritional
requirements.
A) Autoclaving
B) Complete medium
C) Replica plating
D) Karyotyping
E) Conjugation

8. Which of the following statements about bacterial genome is NOT true?

A) All bacteria contain a single circular double-stranded DNA as their genome.
B) Some bacteria may have linear chromosomes instead of circular.
C) In addition to chromosomes, many bacteria possess small extrachromosomal DNA
called plasmids.
D) Each plasmid contains an origin of replication that allows independent replication
for its maintenance.
E) The F factor, which is important for bacterial conjugation, is found as a circular
episome of E. coli.

9. Which of the following refers to a slender extension of the cell membrane used for
bacterial conjugation?
A) episome
B) F factor
C) pilus
D) prophage
E) oncogene

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10. What happens to the remainder of the donated chromosome after crossing over has
taken place in the recipient cell?
A) It is not maintained and is degraded.
B) It is replicated and kept as an episome.
C) It is transferred to another bacterium via conjugation.
D) It is integrated into the nucleus.
E) Nothing happens to it, so it just floats around in the cytoplasm.

11. Bacterial cells containing an F plasmid that has acquired bacterial chromosomal genes
are called:
A) F+.
B) F.
C) F–.
D) Hfr.
E) Hfr+.

12. A bacterial cell transfers chromosomal genes to F– cells, but it rarely causes them to
become F+. The bacterial cell is:
A) Hfr.
B) lysogenic.
C) auxotrophic.
D) lytic.
E) F+.

13. Which of the following statements about genetic exchange in bacteria is NOT true?
A) Bacteria do not always require direct DNA transfer from other living cells in order
to acquire genetic material.
B) Plasmids do not have to integrate into the host cell chromosome in order to be
replicated.
C) Interrupted conjugation results in the production of Hfr strains.
D) The order of gene transfer is not the same for different Hfr strains.
E) Antibiotic resistance can be transferred from one bacterial cell to another by
conjugation.

14. Conjugation between an F cell and an F– cell may produce partial diploids called
_____.
A) homozygotes
B) heterozygotes
C) hemizygotes
D) pseudozygotes
E) merozygotes

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15. Which of the following will have the LEAST influence on the efficiency of
transformation in E. coli bacteria?
A) Calcium chloride treatment
B) Heat shock
C) Electrical field
D) Chilling on the ice
E) The amount of foreign DNA

16. Which of the following gene transfer mechanisms would specifically use time as a basic
unit of mapping?
A) Transformation
B) Crossing over
C) Transduction
D) Conjugation
E) Recombination

17. The transfer of DNA from a donor cell to a recipient cell through a cytoplasmic
connection is called:
A) transformation.
B) transduction.
C) lysogenic cycle.
D) lytic cycle.
E) conjugation.

18. When the F factor episome integrates into the E. coli chromosome, the result is which of
the following strains?
A) Hfr
B) F–
C) F+
D) F
E) F+/–

19. Cotransformation between two genes is more likely if they are:

A) close to one another.
B) far apart from one another.
C) separated by the F factor.
D) both oriented in the same direction.
E) not located on the same chromosome.

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20. Which of the following statements about antibiotic resistance in bacteria is NOT true?
A) Antibiotic resistance cannot be conferred by conjugation as conjugation only
affects the fertility of bacteria.
B) The antibiotic resistance gene can be transmitted to bacteria via transformation or
transduction.
C) Environments where antibiotics are frequently used such as hospitals are under the
higher risk of developing antibiotic resistance.
D) Antibiotic resistance often originates from the microbes that produce antibiotics for
their own survival.
E) The plasmid containing the antibiotic resistance gene can pass the genes to
genetically unrelated bacteria.

21. Joshua Lederberg and Edward Tatum conducted experiments with two auxotrophic
strains of E. coli. The Y20 strain had the genotype thr– leu– thi– bio+ phe+ cys+, and the
Y24 strain had the genotype thr+ leu+ thi+ bio– phe– cys–. Which of the following
procedures would produce growth of bacterial colonies?
A) Spread the Y20 strain on minimal medium agar plates.
B) Spread the Y24 strain on minimal medium agar plates.
C) Boil the Y20 strain, and spread it on minimal medium agar plates.
D) Boil the Y24 strain, and spread it on minimal medium agar plates.
E) Mix the Y20 and Y24 strains together, and spread it on minimal medium agar
plates.

22. What is the result of conjugation between F and F– cells?

A) One F+ cells
B) Two F cells
C) Two F+ cells
D) One Hfr and one F– cells
E) Two Hfr cells

23. leu– bacteria are mixed in a flask with leu+ bacteria, and soon all bacteria are leu+.
However, if the leu– cells are on one side of a U-tube and the leu+ cells are on the other,
the leu– cells do not become prototrophic. Which process is likely to produce this
observed result?
A) Conjugation
B) Transduction
C) Transformation
D) Reciprocal translocation
E) Transfection

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24. How are Hfr strains of bacteria different from F+ strains?
A) Cells of Hfr strains are able to transfer chromosomal genes, whereas cells of F+
strains cannot.
B) Cells of Hfr strains cannot initiate conjugation with F– cells.
C) The F factor is integrated into the bacterial chromosome in all or most cells of an
Hfr strain but in only a few cells in an F+ strain.
D) Cells of Hfr strains carry F plasmids, whereas F+ cells do not.
E) Cells of Hfr strains can initiate conjugation with F+ cells or other Hfr cells.

25. You perform interrupted-mating experiments on three Hfr strains (A, B, and C). Genes
are transferred (from last to first) in the following order from each strain: strain A,
thi-his-gal-lac-pro; strain B, azi-leu-thr-thi-his; strain C, lac-gal-his-thi-thr. How are the
F factors in these strains oriented?
A) A and B are oriented in the same direction.
B) B and C are oriented in the same direction.
C) A and C are oriented in the same direction.
D) All of them are oriented in the same direction.
E) It cannot be determined from the information given.

26. A bacterium of genotype a+b+c+d+ is the donor in a cotransformation mapping. The

recipient is a–b–c–d–. Data from the transformed cells are shown below. What is the
order of the genes?

a+ and b+ 2
a+ and c+ 0
a+ and d+ 5
b+ and c+ 5
b+ and d+ 0
c+ and d+ 0
A) a c b d
B) a d c b
C) c b a d
D) c a d b
E) b c d a

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27. The figure below shows a partial chromosome map of an E. coli Hfr strain. Each mark
equals 10 minutes. If transfer of genes begins at “*” and goes in the direction of the
arrow, which of the predicted results from this map is highly likely to be observed?

A) gal will be the first, and ton will be the last gene to be transferred.
B) lac and azi will rarely be transferred together.
C) Ten minutes after transfer of ton, azi will be transferred.
D) It would take 30 minutes to transfer all of the genes that are shown.
E) All the chromosomal genes will be transferred by the end.

28. The figure below shows the results of interrupted-mating experiments with three
different Hfr strains. What is the order of the genes, starting with C?

Hfr strain Order of transfer

1 A, B, E, D, F
2 D, F, C, G, A
3 D, E, B, A, G
A) C, G, A, D, F, B, E
B) C, F, D, B, A, E, G
C) C, B, E, D, F, G, A
D) C, G, A, B, E, D, F
E) C, D, F, G, A, B, E

29. Integrated, inactive, phage DNA is called a:

A) progeny.
B) prophage.
C) transformant.
D) transductant.
E) conjugate.

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30. The life cycle of virulent phages that always kill their host cell and never become
inactive prophages would be the _____ cycle.
A) lethal
B) lytic
C) temperate
D) strict
E) lysogenic

31. A high concentration of bacteria used to produce a continuous layer on an agar plate is
called a(n):
A) bacterial lawn.
B) colony.
C) virus.
D) integrase.
E) plaque.

32. A clear patch of lysed cells on a bacterial agar plate that indicates lytic phage
reproduction is called a(n):
A) plaque.
B) transformation.
C) prophage.
D) oncogene.
E) provirus.

33. The process of transferring DNA from one bacterium to another through a
bacteriophage is:
A) conjugation.
B) induction.
C) transformation.
D) transduction.
E) infection.

34. Which type of transduction is used to map distances between phage genes?
A) Generalized transduction
B) Specialized transduction
C) Targeted transduction
D) Random transduction
E) Discontinuous transduction

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35. Two different strains of a mutant phage infect a single bacterium. One phage strain is d–
and the other is e–. Some of the progeny phages are genotype d+e+, and some are d–e–.
What genetic phenomenon does this demonstrate?
A) Complementation
B) Specialized transduction
C) Generalized transduction
D) Recombination
E) Differentiation

36. What does the enzyme reverse transcriptase do?

A) Using the amino acid sequence of a protein as a template, it makes an RNA
molecule.
B) Using RNA as a template, it makes a DNA molecule.
C) Using RNA as a template, it makes an RNA molecule.
D) Using DNA as a template, it makes an RNA molecule.
E) Using DNA as a template, it makes DNA molecule.

37. Which of the following statements about retroviruses is FALSE?

A) All retroviruses contain oncogenes, which can induce the formation of tumors.
B) All retroviruses contain gag genes whose product forms the viral protein coat.
C) All retroviruses require pol genes, which are critical for retrotranscription.
D) All retroviral genomes have gag, pol, and env genes.
E) Not all RNA viruses are retroviruses.

38. HIV belongs to a group of viruses called:

A) ssDNA viruses.
B) dsDNA viruses.
C) dsDNA retroviruses.
D) ssRNA viruses.
E) ssRNA retroviruses.

39. The continual genetic change that is introduced into the influenza genome is called
antigenic:
A) drift.
B) shift.
C) swing.
D) wander.
E) roam.

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40. Two different strains of a mutant phage infected a single bacterium. One phage strain is
a–b+ and the other is a+b–. The coinfected phages produced the wild-type phenotype in
the bacterium: progeny phages were diluted and plated on a bacterial lawn. The
resulting plaques produced the following genotypes: 19 a+ b+, 31 a–b+, 29 a+b–, 21
a–b–. What is the recombination frequency between the a and b genes?
A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30%
D) 40%
E) 50%

41. What are plasmids, and what purposes do they serve?

42. In order to better understand arginine biosynthesis in bacteria, a microbial geneticist

might first isolate mutant bacterial strains.

a. What characteristics must these mutant bacteria have?

b. Outline a strategy for isolating such mutants.
c. List three possible methods for mapping the genetic location of the mutations in
these strains.

43. What causes an F– cell to be converted to F+?

44. What causes an F– cell to be converted to Hfr in the presence of F+ cells?

45. Outline the steps involved in mapping a bacterial chromosome by conjugation.

46. Outline the steps involved in mapping a bacterial chromosome by cotransformation.

47. You perform interrupted conjugation using an a+b+c+d+l+m+n+o+ Hfr strain and an F–
strain that is a–b–c–d–l–m–n–o–. You observe the following genes transferred together in
order from last to first.

n+a+c+m+
o+m+c+a+n+
o+b+d+l+n+

What is the map order of the genes?

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48. (a) Explain how chromosomal genes are transferred from donors to recipients when
cells of an F+ strain are mixed with F– cells. (b) Explain why transfer of chromosomal
genes occurs at a higher frequency when cells of an Hfr strain are mixed with F– cells.

49. (a) What is an F plasmid, and how is it formed? (b) Explain how an F can be used to
construct a bacterial strain that is partially diploid. (c) Explain how partial diploid
strains can be used to assess interactions between different alleles (e.g., lac+ and lac–).

50. Explain the significance of horizontal gene transfer to bacterial evolution and to our
ability to discern relationships between different groups of bacteria.

51. Outline the steps involved in mapping bacterial genes by generalized transduction.

52. How does a virulent phage differ from a temperate phage?

53. Both retroviruses and lysogenic bacteriophages employ a mechanism that allows them
to be replicated and passed from cell to cell without producing viruses. What is the
common mechanism that these two very different viruses use?

54. A retrovirus has an RNA genome but integrates into the DNA chromosome of a host
cell. Explain how it does this.

55. List and describe three different ways that DNA from one bacterium can be transferred
into bacterial cells.

56. What is the difference between specialized and generalized transduction?

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57. You are using phages to map three toxin-production genes (R, Y, and G) in a new
bacterium. You grow phages in a strain of the bacteria that produces all three toxins (R+,
Y+, G+), isolate the phage, and then infect a second bacterial strain that cannot produce
any of the toxins (R–, Y–, G–). The recipient bacteria are then grown on colorimetric
media (media that change color in response to toxin presence) to see which toxin genes
are transferred together by the phage. The data are as follows:

a. What kind of mapping is this called?

b. Which gene is in the middle?
c. Which of the outside genes is closer to the middle gene?

58. HIV has a high mutation rate. What causes this, and how might this be advantageous to
the virus?

59. Two phage phenotypes are controlled by the genes a and b. In a mapping experiment, a
culture of bacteria is infected simultaneously with an a–b+ strain and an a+b– strain.
When plaques are analyzed, 5 out of 1000 have the a+b+ or a–b– phenotype. Based on
the information, how far apart are genes a and b?

60. A virulent bacteriophage is used to infect a prototrophic bacterial culture. Phages are
collected from the culture and are used to infect a new bacterial strain that has several
auxotrophies. After infection, rare prototrophs are found.

met+ leu+ 0
met+ pro+ 1
met+ his+ 0
pro+ leu+ 2
pro+ his+ 0
leu+ his+ 1

How are the auxotrophy genes organized on the bacterial chromosome?

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61. You are studying a new phage that infects H. pylori. You isolated two mutant strains of
the phage, each producing a different plaque phenotype due to a specific mutation:
rough (r) and big (b). You coinfect H. pylori with both strains by adding a mixture of
phages to a culture of cells. You collect the cell lysate containing progeny phages; plate
diluted phages on a lawn of H. pylori cells; and observe 970 rough plaques, 890 big
plaques, 0 rough and big plaques, and 500 normal, wild-type plaques.

a. What is the recombination frequency between the r locus and the b locus?
b. Can r and b be different alleles of the same locus?
c. How can you explain the results?

62. (a) Explain the mechanism that leads to rapid evolution of the virus that causes
influenza. (b) Distinguish between antigenic drift and antigenic shift, and explain the
significance of each to influenza evolution and the occurrence of influenza in humans.

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Answer Key
1. C
2. E
3. B
4. C
5. B
6. B
7. B
8. A
9. C
10. A
11. B
12. A
13. C
14. E
15. D
16. D
17. E
18. A
19. A
20. A
21. E
22. B
23. A
24. C
25. A
26. C
27. B
28. D
29. B
30. B
31. A
32. A
33. D
34. A
35. D
36. B
37. A
38. E
39. A
40. D
41. Plasmids are small, circular, extra-chromosomal DNA molecules found naturally in
bacteria. They carry extra genes and can transfer these genes from one bacterial cell to
another. They are also used extensively in genetic engineering.

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42. a. Each mutant strain must be auxotrophic for the amino acid arginine. This characteristic of mutant
used to determine the number of genes, the locations of genes, and the functions of genes that enco
used for arginine biosynthesis.
b. Bacteria would first be plated on complete media (i.e., media containing arginine and other essenti
Next, bacteria would be replica-plated both to Petri plates containing media that lacked arginine an
plates containing media that contained arginine. Analysis of the growth of the strains on these two
would reveal auxotrophs, that is, those that grow on media containing arginine but do not grow on
arginine.
c. Three methods are (1) interrupted conjugation, (2) cotransformation, and (3) generalized transduct
43. The F factor plasmid in an F+ cell is replicated, and one copy is transferred to the F– cell
through conjugation.
44. The F– cell must first receive an F factor plasmid by conjugation with an F+ cell. Once
inside the recipient cell, the F plasmid can integrate into the bacterial chromosome,
converting the cell to Hfr.
45. (1) Select a donor Hfr strain and a recipient F– strain. The two strains must be different in genotype fo
genes—for example, leu– and leu+, azir and azs.
(2) The two strains are mixed together in a nutrient medium to allow conjugation to begin. After a few
culture is diluted to prevent new conjugations.
(3) At regular intervals, conjugation is interrupted by shearing the mating bacteria away from each oth
(4) For each time point, cells that mated are selected—for instance, by requiring that prototrophy or a
resistance from each parent be present in one cell.
(5) Cells that mated are checked for transfer of other genes from the Hfr to the F– strain.
(6) Order and distance of transferred genes are determined by comparing the time required for them to
Hfr to the F– strain.
46. (1) A donor strain is chosen that has a number of prototrophies or antibiotic
resistances.
(2) The recipient strain's genotype is different from that of the donor.
(3) DNA from the donor strain is fragmented and is used to transform the recipient
strain.
(4) Transformants are selected—for instance, for a prototrophy or antibiotic
resistance.
(5) Transformants are tested for other genes they acquired in the transformation.
(6) Order and distance of transferred genes are determined by comparing
cotransformation frequencies.
47. The map is circular: -m-c-a-n-l-d-b-o-.
48. (a) Within a few cells of an F+ strain, the F factor will integrate into one of several
positions of the bacterial chromosome and become Hfr. When the integrated F factor
initiates conjugation, genes of the bacterial chromosome will be transferred behind the
leading part of the F factor. Once inside the recipient, the transferred chromosomal
genes can be recombined into the recipient's chromosome. Transfer of chromosomal
genes occurs at only a low frequency because relatively few cells in an F+ strain are Hfr.
(b) Almost all of the cells of an Hfr strain contain an F factor that is integrated into
the bacterial chromosome. All of these cells have the ability to transfer chromosomal
genes to F– cells, so the frequency of transfer is high.
49. (a) An F is an F factor that carries one or two genes from the bacterial
chromosome. An F forms when an F factor excises imprecisely from the chromosome,

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 carrying a small part of the chromosome with it.
(b) When a cell carrying an F contacts an F– cell, the F is copied and transferred to
–
the F cell. The recipient cell will then possess two copies of the gene or genes that are
carried on the F.
(c) It is more difficult to assess interactions between alleles in bacteria because
bacteria normally are haploid and the alleles normally do not occur together in a cell or
strain. However, F strains can be used to construct partial diploid strains that allow for
these interactions to be tested. For example, a strain can be established that is
heterozygous for the lac gene, allowing one to determine the dominance relationship
between lac+ and lac–.
50. Horizontal gene transfer is the transfer of genes from one type of bacteria to
another through conjugation, transformation, or (less likely) transduction. In some
cases, genes can be transferred horizontally between bacteria that are not closely related.
Horizontal gene transfer allows bacteria of different types to exchange genetic variation
and to acquire new genetic traits that can be tested by natural selection. Some evidence
suggests that horizontal gene transfer is extensive in nature. For example, about 17% of
the E. coli genome is thought to have come from other types of bacteria. As a result,
some bacteriologists question whether concepts of species even apply in bacteria, given
that a particular bacterium can contain parts of a variety of genomes from different
groups.

Horizontal gene transfer complicates molecular analysis of relationships between

different types of bacteria because such analyses assume that the genes being compared
have been acquired by each group through vertical gene transfer (inheritance). To the
extent that assumption is violated by horizontal gene transfers, molecular analysis of
relationships is made much more difficult. In reality, such analyses are valid only for
that part of the genome that has been transferred vertically by inheritance. In other
words, the history of the group is not reflected perfectly in the history of its genome.
51. (1) Use two strains of bacteria whose genotypes differ for each gene to be mapped.
(2) Phages that have infected one bacterial strain (the donor) are collected and used
to infect the other strain.
(3) Recipient bacteria with recombinant genotypes are selected.
(4) Order and distance of genes are determined by comparing frequencies of
cotransduction.
52. Virulent phages reproduce using only the lytic cycle, whereas temperate phages can use
the lytic or lysogenic cycle.
53. Both integrate their viral genome into a host genome, so that when the cell DNA is
replicated, the viral genetic information is replicated as well.
54. The retrovirus genome encodes a reverse transcriptase enzyme. RTase makes a DNA
copy of the viral RNA genome. The DNA copy integrates into the host cell's DNA.
55. (1) Transformation: Competent cells take up DNA from the environment.
(2) Transduction: DNA is carried into the cell in a virus.
(3) Conjugation: DNA from one cell is transferred in a pilus to another cell.
56. Generalized transduction transfers fragments from anywhere in the chromosome;
specialized transduction transfers only a few genes from DNA that is adjacent to the
prophage insertion site.

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57. a. Transduction
b. Y
c. R
58. The reverse transcriptase of HIV has an unusually high error rate, so that many
mutations occur as the HIV genome is converted from RNA to DNA. A high mutation
rate, though potentially creating nonfunctional viral proteins, also leads to rapid
evolution of the virus, allowing it to continually adapt to new threatening conditions
even within one host.
59. They are 0.5 map units apart.
60. (1) met and pro are close to each other.
(2) pro and leu are close to each other.
(3) leu and his are close to each other.
(4) The gene order is met pro leu his.
61. a. No recombinant plaques were observed, so the recombination frequency is 0.
b. No, the 500 wild-type plaques are a result of complementation between the two
phage strains in doubly-infected cells.
c. The genes could be overlapping so that no recombination occurs between them.
62. (a) The enzyme that copies the RNA genome of the influenza virus is prone to
replication errors, leading to a high rate of mutation and rapid production of new genetic
variants upon which natural selection can act.
(b) Antigenic drift is the continual change in influenza proteins that result from
mutations due to replication errors. Antigenic drift involves fairly small changes in the
virus from year to year. Although the changes are not dramatic, they are significant in
that most humans are not immune to the new variants and a new flu vaccine must be
created each year. Antigenic shift is the production of a fundamentally new type of
influenza virus through reassortment that occurs when two or more different strains of
virus infect a single cell. Some of the progeny will carry fundamentally new
combinations of genetic traits. Typically, very few people will be immune to the new
strain, giving rise to the potential for widespread infection or pandemic. Significantly,
reassortment is unpredictable, so that vaccines typically are not available until after the
new strain has spread throughout the world.

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