Question

The term plasmid was given by
A: Tatum
B: Lederberg
C: Zinder
D: Griffith

Answer 1

A plasmid is a small extrachromosomal DNA molecule that can replicate independently of chromosomal DNA and is physically isolated from it. Plasmids are small double stranded circular DNA molecules found most often in bacteria, but they may be found in both archaea and eukaryotic species. In nature, plasmids also bear genes that aid the organism's survival and supply a selective advantage, like antibiotic resistance. Unlike chromosomes, which are large and contain all of the genetic material needed to live normally, plasmids are typically small and contain only additional genes that may be useful in specific circumstances or conditions.

Complete answer:
Option A:
Edward Lawrie Tatum was a geneticist from the United States. In $1958$, he and George Beadle shared half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for demonstrating that genes regulate individual metabolic steps. Tatum's methods for inducing mutations and investigating biochemical processes in Neurospora were successfully extended to bacteria.
So, option A is incorrect.
Option B:
Joshua Lederberg was the first to coin the term "plasmid" in $1952$. It was his term for "any extrachromosomal hereditary feature." Lederberg coined the term in a paper discussing some Salmonella bacteria and virus $P22$ experiments he and his graduate student Norton Zinder performed.
So, option B is correct.
Option C:
Norton is a well-known name in David Zinder was a well-known American biologist who pioneered the concept of genetic transduction. A bacteriophage, according to Zinder, can bring genes from one bacterium to another. Salmonella was used in the initial tests. The term "genetic exchange transduction" was coined by Zinder and Lederberg to describe this method. Zinder went on to discover the first bacteriophage with RNA as its genetic material.
Option C is incorrect.
Option D:
Frederick Griffith's experiment, published in $1928$, was the first to propose that bacteria are capable of transmitting genetic information through a method known as transformation. Griffith's results were accompanied by studies in the late $1930s$ and early $1940s$ that identified DNA as the medium by which genetic information was transmitted.
So, option D is incorrect.

Hence, Option B is the correct answer.
Note:
Plasmids are small pieces of DNA that are circular in shape and are not the same as chromosomal DNA. It can replicate without the aid of chromosomal DNA. They're most commonly found in bacteria, but they can also be found in multicellular organisms. Plasmids serve a variety of purposes. They all have at least one gene, and the majority of those genes are beneficial to their hosts. They boost the organism's chances of surviving. Facilitate the replication step.