What occurs during transduction in prokaryotic cells?

Transduction is a process specifically related to the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells through the action of bacteriophages, which are viruses that infect bacteria. During transduction, a bacteriophage attaches to a bacterial cell and injects its genetic material. This viral DNA may incorporate some of the bacterial DNA into the viral genome. When the bacteriophage reproduces inside the host bacterium, it can inadvertently package fragments of the bacterial DNA along with its own into new viral particles. These newly formed bacteriophages can then infect other bacterial cells, transferring the bacterial DNA to them.

This method of horizontal gene transfer is significant because it allows for genetic variation and the spread of traits such as antibiotic resistance among bacterial populations. Understanding transduction highlights the role of viruses in genetic exchange and evolution in prokaryotic cells, differentiating it from processes like transformation, where bacteria take up free DNA from their environment, or conjugation, where direct contact allows for DNA transfer.