Q.Explain the process of conjugation in bacteria.

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The question asks for an explanation of the process of bacterial conjugation. …

Conjugation begins when a donor bacterial cell forms a sex pilus, a tube-like projection on its surface. This pilus makes contact with a nearby recipient bacterial cell and draws the two cells close together, forming a physical bridge between them. Once the connection is established, DNA - typically a plasmid carried by the donor cell - is transferred across this bridge from the donor into the recipient cell. The recipient cell, having received this new DNA, ends up with a genetic combination different from before, which is why conjugation is regarded as a form of genetic recombination in bacteria, comparable in effect to sexual reproduction in other organisms. Conjugation was discovered by Joshua Lederberg and Edward Tatum in 19 …

• Describing conjugation without mentioning the sex pilus as the specific structure that makes the connection. …