Question

Give one basic difference between generalized and specialized transduction.

Answer 1

Hint: The transduction process has been used by scientists for stable introduction of genes of interest into different host cells by means of viruses.

Complete answer:
Transduction is the mechanism by which genetic material from one bacterium to another is passed by a virus. An example is the viral transfer of DNA between bacteria and hence a horizontal gene transfer example.
Viruses known as bacteriophages can infect and make viruses using bacterial cells as hosts. These viruses assemble and extract a portion of host cell bacterial DNA periodically after multiplication. This bacterial DNA can later be incorporated into the genome of the new host, if one of these bacteriophages infects a new host cell.
Transducing the cell donating the DNA and the receiving cell do not need any physical contact and are immune to DNase. Transduction is a popular method for stabilizing a foreign gene in the genome of a host cell by molecular biologists.
Two forms of transductions exist: generalized and specialized. The main difference between generalized and specialized transduction is the bacteriophages can accumulate any part of the host genome in generalized transduction. On the other hand, the bacteriophages only collect certain portions of the host's DNA in specialized transduction.

Note:The transduction process means the movement of DNA via a virus from one bacterium to another. It also refers to the procedure by which a viral vector introduces foreign DNA into another cell.