Which of the Following Statements is True Regarding a Temperate

Question

Which of the following statements is true regarding a temperate phage?
A)It can reproduce at warm or cool temperatures.
B)It is required for transformation.
C)It can be lytic or lysogenic.
D)It causes bacterial cells to conjugate.
E)It reproduces by binary fission.

Accepted Answer

A temperate phage can exist either as a lytic or lysogenic phage. It integrates its genetic material into the host's genome to form a prophage during its lysogenic phase, and replicates with the host's genome until it is triggered to enter a lytic phase, wherein the phage is excised from the host's genome and replicates using the host's machinery, before ultimately lysing the host cell. Temperate phages are not required for transformation (B), conjugation (D), or binary fission (E).