Whereas old dependency theory was Marxist in presentation, but nationalist in orientation, seeking to combine a theory of class struggle with a nationalist âthird worldistâ ideology, the new dependency theory is institutionalist in its analysis and political orientation.
Griffith concluded that the type II-R had been transformed into the lethal III-S strain by a transforming principle that was somehow part of the dead III-S strain bacteria. Today, we know that the transforming principle Griffith observed was the DNA of the III-s strain bacteria. While the bacteria had been killed, the DNA had survived the heating process and was taken up by the II-R strain bacteria. The III-S strain DNA contains the genes that form the protective polysaccharide capsule.
What actually happened in Griffith's experiment was that, after the Type III-S bacteria was heat killed, its DNA survived and was taken up by the II-R bacteria strain. The Type III-S DNA enabled the II-R bacteria to grow a protective capsule, gain virulent properties and defeat the host's immune system.