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The Hershey-Chase Experiment definitions

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  • Hershey-Chase Experiment
    A 1952 study using bacteriophages and radioactive labeling to confirm DNA as the hereditary material, ending debate over protein's role.
  • Bacteriophage
    A virus that infects bacteria by injecting its nucleic acid, often used in genetic research to study heredity.
  • Genetic Material
    The substance responsible for heredity, proven by experiments to be DNA rather than protein.
  • Protein Coat
    The external shell of a virus, composed of amino acids, which protects the viral nucleic acid.
  • Nucleic Acid Core
    The central region within a virus containing genetic instructions, such as DNA, necessary for replication.
  • Radioactive Labeling
    A technique using radioactive isotopes to track molecules, distinguishing between DNA and protein in experiments.
  • Radioactive Sulfur
    An isotope used to tag viral proteins, allowing researchers to trace protein movement during infection.
  • Radioactive Phosphorus
    An isotope used to tag viral DNA, enabling scientists to follow DNA entry into bacterial cells.
  • Viral DNA
    The hereditary molecule inside a virus, shown to enter bacteria and direct replication.
  • Viral Protein
    The structural component of a virus, remaining outside the host cell during infection.
  • Bacterial Cell
    The host targeted by bacteriophages, receiving viral DNA but not viral protein during infection.
  • Heredity
    The transmission of genetic information from one generation to the next, established to be governed by DNA.
  • Controversy
    The scientific debate over whether DNA or protein served as the molecule of inheritance, resolved by key experiments.
  • Replication
    The process by which viruses or cells produce copies of their genetic material, essential for propagation.