A phenomenon in which transfer of genetic information occurs through the agency of free DNA is known as

Ans. b (Transformation) (Ref. Q. 102 of MHPGM-2003).TRANSMISSION OF GENETIC MATERIAL IN BACTERIA IS BY-ConjugationThe exchange of chromosomal or plasmid genes from one bacterium to another through conjugal bridgeTransductionThe delivery of bacterial genes from one bacterium to another via a virus vectorTransformationThe uptake and incorporation of free DNA from the environmentLysogenyThe stable association between a bacterium and a temperature phage. It imparts the important traits:O = Salmonella O antigen, B = botulinum toxin, E = erythrogenic toxin of Streptococcus pyogenes,D = diphtheria toxin, mnemonic: OBED (or a little pregnant with phage)TransposonA motile genetic element capable of transposition within a cell; these are responsible for the formation of multiple drug-resistance plasmidsTransfectionTransfer of a gene into a cell, enabling the transfected cell to form a new gene product.