CBSE Class 12-science Answered

Hershey and Chase showed that the introduction of deoxyribonuclease (an enzyme which breaks down DNA) into a solution containing the labelled bacteriophages did not introduce any ³²P into the solution. This demonstrated that the phage is resistant to the enzyme while intact.

Hershey and Chase concluded that DNA, not protein, was the genetic material. They determined that a protective protein coat was formed around the bacteriophage but that the internal DNA is what conferred its ability to produce progeny inside bacteria.