What effect will penicillin have on Shelly's cells?

• A. Penicillin will have little to no effect on Shelly's cells because human cells lack peptidoglycan cell walls.
• B. Penicillin will cause Shelly's cells to undergo apoptosis by interfering with DNA replication.
• C. Penicillin will inhibit protein synthesis in Shelly's cells by binding to ribosomes.
• D. Penicillin will disrupt the synthesis of the cell wall in Shelly's cells, leading to cell lysis.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the mechanism of action of penicillin. Penicillin targets bacterial cells by inhibiting the synthesis of peptidoglycan, an essential component of bacterial cell walls.
2. Step 2: Recognize that human cells, like Shelly's cells, do not have peptidoglycan cell walls. Instead, human cells have cell membranes without peptidoglycan.
3. Step 3: Since penicillin specifically disrupts peptidoglycan synthesis, it will not affect human cells in the same way it affects bacteria.
4. Step 4: Review the other options: penicillin does not interfere with DNA replication or protein synthesis in human cells, nor does it cause apoptosis by these mechanisms.
5. Step 5: Conclude that penicillin will have little to no effect on Shelly's cells because they lack the target structure (peptidoglycan cell walls) that penicillin acts upon.