Which term refers to all of the chemical reactions within the cell?

A. conjugation: Conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells through direct cell-to-cell contact, usually via a pilus. It requires live donor and recipient cells and is not mediated by DNA from a dead cell.

B. mitosis: Mitosis is the process of eukaryotic cell division, resulting in two genetically identical daughter cells. It does not involve horizontal gene transfer or the uptake of DNA from other cells.

C. transmission: Transmission is a general term for the spread of organisms or genetic material but does not specifically describe the process in which a dead cell’s DNA is incorporated into a living recipient cell.

D. transformation: Transformation is the process by which a competent bacterial cell takes up DNA fragments from a dead or lysed cell in its environment. This exogenous DNA can be incorporated into the recipient’s genome, resulting in a genetically altered cell, a mechanism first described in Streptococcus pneumoniae by Griffith.

E. transduction: Transduction is the transfer of bacterial DNA from one cell to another via bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria). Unlike transformation, it requires a viral vector rather than direct uptake of free DNA from a dead cell.

A. Oncogenic virus: Oncogenic viruses are viruses that can cause cancer by integrating their genetic material into the host cell’s genome. This integration can disrupt normal cellular regulatory genes, activate proto-oncogenes, or inactivate tumor suppressor genes, leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation. Examples include human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV), all of which are associated with specific cancers.

B. Non-infectious virus: A non-infectious virus is one that cannot successfully enter host cells or replicate, often due to damage or incomplete structure. Such viruses do not integrate into host DNA and therefore do not contribute to cancer development.

C. Structural virus: Structural viruses refer to viruses categorized based on their morphology, such as icosahedral, helical, or enveloped forms. While structure influences infectivity and stability, it does not inherently determine whether a virus is oncogenic or capable of causing cancer.