Which process is not used by prokaryotes to transfer DNA?

Which process is not used by prokaryotes to transfer DNA?

• A. Conjugation.
• B. Transformation.
• C. Transduction.
• D. Mitosis.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that bacteria exchange DNA through horizontal gene transfer, not through a division process. Conjugation, transformation, and transduction are all classic ways prokaryotes move genetic material between cells: conjugation uses a pilus to transfer DNA directly from one cell to another, transformation takes up free DNA from the surrounding environment, and transduction uses bacteriophages to shuttle DNA between bacteria. Mitosis, by contrast, is a mechanism of cell division found in many eukaryotes. It involves a spindle apparatus and organized chromosome separation during nucleus division. Prokaryotes do not undergo mitosis; they replicate by binary fission and do not transfer DNA to other cells as part of a division event. Therefore, mitosis is not a method prokaryotes use to transfer DNA between cells.

The main idea is that bacteria exchange DNA through horizontal gene transfer, not through a division process. Conjugation, transformation, and transduction are all classic ways prokaryotes move genetic material between cells: conjugation uses a pilus to transfer DNA directly from one cell to another, transformation takes up free DNA from the surrounding environment, and transduction uses bacteriophages to shuttle DNA between bacteria.

Mitosis, by contrast, is a mechanism of cell division found in many eukaryotes. It involves a spindle apparatus and organized chromosome separation during nucleus division. Prokaryotes do not undergo mitosis; they replicate by binary fission and do not transfer DNA to other cells as part of a division event. Therefore, mitosis is not a method prokaryotes use to transfer DNA between cells.