A Microbiologist Would Like to Use a Noncompetent Genus of Streptococcal

question 16

Multiple Choice

A microbiologist would like to use a noncompetent genus of streptococcal bacteria,Enterococcus faecalis,as a cloning host to express genes from Streptococcus pneumoniae,which is naturally competent.Is this possible?

• A)Yes; electroporation or chemical transformation can be used to make Enterococcus competent,and then genes from Streptococcus can be introduced via a cloning vector.
• B)Yes; electroporation or chemical transformation can be used to make non-competent Streptococcus mutants,from which genes can be inserted into a cloning vector and introduced into Enterococcus.
• C)No; competence factor is an essential protein that enables the uptake of foreign DNA,therefore a cloning host such as Enterococcus that lacks competence factor protein is unable to be transformed by electroporation or chemical transformation.
• D)Yes; since the cloning host and the DNA to be introduced are both from bacteria that are streptococci,natural competence in this case is not necessary as long as the appropriate vector is used.

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Definitions:

tRNA Triplet

A sequence of three nucleotides in transfer RNA that corresponds to a complementary codon in messenger RNA during protein synthesis.

mRNA

Messenger RNA, a type of RNA that conveys genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where proteins are synthesized.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides in DNA or RNA that specifies the addition of a specific amino acid during protein synthesis.

RNA Polymerases

Enzymes responsible for synthesizing RNA molecules from a DNA template, essential for the process of transcription.