Which statement about conjugation is true?

Which statement about conjugation is true?

• A. It is a form of endospore formation
• B. It results in identical daughter cells
• C. It occurs via viral infection
• D. It involves transfer of genetic material to another cell using pili

Answer: (D)

Conjugation is a method of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria that requires direct cell-to-cell contact. A donor cell that carries a transferable genetic element, usually the F factor on a plasmid, forms a pilus that attaches to a recipient cell. Through this pilus, a copy of the plasmid or a portion of the chromosome is transferred to the recipient. This can convert an recipient into a donor and, in some cases, transfer chromosomal genes in specialized donor strains, introducing genetic variation rather than creating identical cells. This differs from endospore formation (sporulation), which is a survival strategy, from producing identical daughter cells by binary fission, and from viral infection-based transfer (transduction). The defining feature is the transfer of genetic material to another cell via pili.

Conjugation is a method of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria that requires direct cell-to-cell contact. A donor cell that carries a transferable genetic element, usually the F factor on a plasmid, forms a pilus that attaches to a recipient cell. Through this pilus, a copy of the plasmid or a portion of the chromosome is transferred to the recipient. This can convert an recipient into a donor and, in some cases, transfer chromosomal genes in specialized donor strains, introducing genetic variation rather than creating identical cells. This differs from endospore formation (sporulation), which is a survival strategy, from producing identical daughter cells by binary fission, and from viral infection-based transfer (transduction). The defining feature is the transfer of genetic material to another cell via pili.