Question

Most temperate phages integrate into the host chromosome, whereas some replicate as plasmids. Which kind of relationship do you think would be more likely to maintain the phage in the host cell, and why?

A.Plasmids-they're smaller, so they'd be easier to replicate by the host cell.

B.Integrated-the host cell would be less likely to view this DNA as "foreign" on subsequent rounds of replication, and would retain it more easily.

C.Integration-because plasmids are frequently lost during cell division, which could leave a daughter cell without the virus genome.

D.Plasmids-these structures often carry other genes that may give the host cell a selective advantage over cells that don't have them.