Fifteen Different Strains of Bacteria Are Auxotrophic for Maltose and Their

Multiple Choice

Fifteen different strains of bacteria are auxotrophic for maltose and their mutations do not complement each other.The mutations in these bacteria map to the same DNA region using transformation of random fragments of genomic DNA.Only two different enzymes participate in the maltose biosynthetic pathway, and the genes for both are within a single operon.What does this data suggest?

A) There are fifteen enzymes in maltose metabolism.
B) All the strains have mutations that prevent transcription of the operon.
C) Fifteen genes encode maltose biosynthesis enzymes, but only two genes are crucial.
D) Maltose is the preferred sugar source for the mutant bacteria.