Question

Bacteriophage λ (lambda) has a genome of approximately how many base pairs?

Options

• ~3.3 × 10⁹ bp

• ~5,386 bp

• ~48,502 bp

• ~4.6 × 10⁶ bp

Answer 1

Bacteriophage λ (lambda) has a genome of approximately 48,502 base pairs. This virus is one of the most well-studied bacteriophages in molecular biology and was instrumental in early genetic research. Despite its relatively small genome compared to cellular organisms, bacteriophage λ has been invaluable for understanding fundamental molecular biology processes.