Bacterial conjugation involves Select one: a. a bacteriophage carrying donor DNA to the recipient cell. b. naked DNA fragments from a lysed donor cell taken up by a recipient cell. c. new progeny cells with genes from two parent bacterial cells. d. a donor cell with a plasmid that synthesizes a pilus.

Conjugation is one of the processes employed by bacteria cells for genetic exchange. It involves the transfer of genetic material from one bacterium (donor) to another bacterium (recepient) via direct contact.

The donor bacterium carries a DNA sequence called Fertility factor or F-factor, which allows it to synthesize a tube-like stucture known as pilus (plural - pili). The pili that performs this function in bacteria is called CONJUGATE PILI. The pilus draws the mating pair (donor& recepient cell) close to each other to form a wall-wall contact triggering the formation of a mating bridge. This bridge enables the transfer of genetic material, usually in form of a plasmid (a small circular piece of DNA capable of replication independently of the bacterial chromosome).

In bacterial conjugation, the process involves a small portion of the genome of the donor cell getting inculcated into the complete genome of the recepient cell. Hence, conjugation is of immense importance to bacteria, as it is an avenue to confer certain genes e.g. antibiotic-resistant genes.