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  • Recall the experiments done by Frederick Griffith, Avery, MacLeod and McCarty, where DNA was speculated to be the genetic material.

Recall the experiments done by Frederick Griffith, Avery, MacLeod and McCarty, where DNA was speculated to be the genetic material. If RNA, instead of DNA was the genetic material, would the heat-killed strain of Pneumococcus have transformed the R-strain into a virulent strain? Explain.

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If RNA were the genetic material, the heat-killed strain of Pneumococcus would likely not have transformed the R-strain into a virulent strain in Frederick Griffith's experiment. This is because RNA is much less stable than DNA, particularly under high-temperature conditions. Heat denatures RNA more readily, breaking it down into smaller, non-functional fragments.

In Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty's follow-up experiments, DNA was identified as the transforming principle because it remained intact and functional after heat treatment, allowing it to transfer genetic information to the R-strain. If RNA were the genetic material, it would have degraded upon heating, and no intact genetic information would have been available to transform the R-strain into a virulent strain. This highlights the importance of DNA's stability in its role as a hereditary material.

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