Hershey And Chase Experiment

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1 Hershey and Chase

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They used radioisotopes, these are radioactive forms of elements that decay over a period of time, the particles given off in this decay allow the specific radioisotope to be detected.

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2 Hershey and Chase

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They grew bacteriophage viruses in two different types of cultures. One culture was Phosphorous -32. The viruses produced in this culture had DNA in their core with the detectable phosphorous.

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3 Hershey and Chase

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Another culture included the radioactive form of Sulphur -35. This is detected in the protein outer coat of the virus. DNA does not include sulphur so was not detected in the protein outer coat.

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4 Hershey and Chase

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The two types of bacteriophage infected the E-coli with the different radioisotopes.

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5 Hershey and Chase

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E-coli infected with bacteriophage with Phosphorous -32 had radioactivity inside the cell walls. E-coli infected with bacteriophage with Sulphur -35 had no radioactivity.

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6 Hershey and Chase

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This is because DNA contains Phosphorus not Sulphur therefore concluding that DNA, not protein, was the genetic material of the bacteriophage.