MCAT Question A Day - 5/23/14 - Answer!
Prior to infecting a bacterium, a bacteriophage must:
A. reproduce, making copies of the phage chromosome.
B. integrate its genome into the bacterial chromosome.
C. penetrate the bacterial cell wall completely.
D. attach to a receptor on the bacterial cell membrane.
D is correct. The first step in the infection of a host is attachment of the phage tail to a specific receptor on the host cell membrane. The capsid on the bacteriophage does not enter the host cell.
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D is correct. The first step in the infection of a host is attachment of the phage tail to a specific receptor on the host cell membrane. The capsid on the bacteriophage does not enter the host cell.
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