The colonies of recombinant bacteria appear white in contrast to blue colonies of non-recombinant bacteria because of :
- Insertional inactivation of alphagalactosidase in recombinant bacteria
- Inactivation of glycosidase enzyme in recombinant bacteria
- Insertional inactivation of alphagalactosidase in non-recombinant bacteria
- Non-recombinant bacteria containing betagalactosidase
Answer
(4) Non-recombinant bacteria containing betagalactosidase
Solution
As per NCERT, a recombinant DNA is inserted within the coding sequence of the enzyme -galactosidase, which inactivates the enzyme (insertional inactivation).
⇒ Non-recombinant bacteria have an intact -galactosidase gene; in the presence of a chromogenic substrate the enzyme acts on it and their colonies become blue.
⇒ Recombinant bacteria cannot make -galactosidase, so their colonies remain white.
∴ The blue/white difference is because the non-recombinant bacteria contain -galactosidase.
Answer: (4)