Concepts of Genetics (12th Edition)
12th Edition
ISBN: 9780134604718
Author: William S. Klug, Michael R. Cummings, Charlotte A. Spencer, Michael A. Palladino, Darrell Killian
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 11, Problem 24PDQ
In 1994, telomerase activity was discovered in human cancer cell lines. Although telomerase is not active in human somatic tissue, human somatic cells do contain the genes for telomerase proteins and telomerase RNA. Since inappropriate activation of telomerase may contribute to cancer, why do you think the genes coding for this enzyme have been maintained in the human genome throughout evolution? Are there any types of human body cells where telomerase activation would be advantageous or even necessary? Explain.
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If you knew the mRNA sequence for the human insulin gene could you know what size cDNA fragment you would find on your DNA gel when you ran it against a size standard (a “molecular ruler”)? Would you continue with your insulin cloning experiment, if the DNA from your PCR was very different in size from that predicted by the insulin mRNA? Why or why not?
Primers can sometimes bind and target the wrong gene, especially if the primers are allowed to bind to the DNA strands at a low temperature. PCR also preferentially amplify short segments of DNA. Would it be important to actually run the cDNA after the PCR on a DNA gel in order to check for a PCR product of the predicted size for the insulin gene? Why or why not?
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Chapter 11 Solutions
Concepts of Genetics (12th Edition)
Ch. 11 - In the Meselson-Stahl experiment, which of the...Ch. 11 - An alien organism was investigated. When DNA...Ch. 11 - Why might mutations in genes encoding telomerase...Ch. 11 - Although the brother is an immunologically matched...Ch. 11 - Prob. 3CSCh. 11 - HOW DOWE KNOW? In this chapter, we focused on how...Ch. 11 - CONCEPT QUESTION Review the Chapter Concepts list...Ch. 11 - Compare conservative, semiconservative, and...Ch. 11 - Describe the role of 15N in the MeselsonStahl...Ch. 11 - Predict the results of the experiment by Taylor,...
Ch. 11 - What are the requirements for in vitro synthesis...Ch. 11 - In Kornbergs initial experiments, it was rumored...Ch. 11 - How did Kornberg assess the fidelity of DNA...Ch. 11 - Which characteristics of DNA polymerase I raised...Ch. 11 - Kornberg showed that nucleotides are added to the...Ch. 11 - What was the significance of the polA1 mutation?Ch. 11 - Summarize and compare the properties of DNA...Ch. 11 - List and describe the function of the ten subunits...Ch. 11 - Distinguish between (a) unidirectional and...Ch. 11 - List the proteins that unwind DNA during in vivo...Ch. 11 - Define and indicate the significance of (a)...Ch. 11 - Outline the current model for DNA synthesis.Ch. 11 - Why is DNA synthesis expected to be more complex...Ch. 11 - Suppose that E. coli synthesizes DNA at a rate of...Ch. 11 - Several temperature-sensitive mutant strains of E....Ch. 11 - While many commonly used antibiotics interfere...Ch. 11 - Describe the end-replication problem in...Ch. 11 - Many of the gene products involved in DNA...Ch. 11 - In 1994, telomerase activity was discovered in...Ch. 11 - The genome of D. melanogaster consists of...Ch. 11 - Prob. 26ESPCh. 11 - DNA polymerases in all organisms add only 5...Ch. 11 - Assume that the sequence of bases shown below is...Ch. 11 - Reiji and Tuneko Okazaki conducted a now classic...Ch. 11 - Consider the drawing of a dinucleotide below. (a)...Ch. 11 - To gauge the fidelity of DNA synthesis, Arthur...
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- In contrast with the genomic manipulations of animals and plants described in this chapter, human genetherapy is directed specifically at altering the genomes of somatic cells rather than germ-line cells.Why couldn’t or wouldn’t medical scientists try to alter the genome of human germ-line cells?arrow_forwardIf I clone a complete eukaryotic gene, including the eukaryotic promoter region, ligate it into a plasmid, and transform it into E. coli, will I be able use the transformed E. coli to make the corresponding protein? Explain why, or why not? If you decide to do this, what would your cloning strategy be?arrow_forwardMice that are engineered to block expression of the gene coding for telomerase protein age at a much faster rate than normal and have a decreased life span. The results of these mice experiments led researchers to propose that treatments that could lead to overexpression of the telomerase gene might serve as the “fountain of youth” leading to reversal of aging in humans. Why should we be very cautious about trying such treatments? Why it might be advantageous for multicellular organisms for most of their somatic cells not to express telomerase?arrow_forward
- It is possible to take the DNA of a gene from any source and place it on a chromosome in the nucleus of a yeast cell. When you take DNA of a human gene and put it into a yeast cell chromosome, the yeast cell can synthesize the human protein. However, when you remove the DNA for a gene normally present on yeast mitochondrial chromosomes and put it on a yeast chromosome in the nucleus, the yeast cell cannot synthesize the correct protein, even though the gene comes from the same organism. Explain. What would you need to do to ensure that such a yeast cell could make the correct protein?arrow_forwardIn 1995, Hamilton Smith, Craig Venter and co-workers published the first complete genome sequence of a self-sustaining organism, that of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae. Analysis of the genome sequence revealed that the organism does not have a gene that could encode a telomerase enzyme. What is the potential evolutionary consequence of this? Explain your answer.arrow_forwardDo a few cells created by therapeutic cloning of your own somatic cells constitute life? If these cells do constitute life, do they have the same rights as a human being conceived naturally? If it were possible, should someone be allowed to grow his or her own therapeutic clone into an adult?arrow_forward
- In yeast cells, telomerase remains active and maintains telomeres of about 300 base pairs. Propose what would happen to the telomeres over time in a yeast lineage in which the following mutations were created. a) The gene encoding the catalytic subunit of the telomerase is deleted. b) The template portion of the telomerase RNA is changed from 5’-ACACCCACA to 5’-ACAUCUACA.arrow_forwardn yeast cells, telomerase remains active and maintains telomeres of about 300 base pairs. Propose what would happen to the telomeres over time in a yeast lineage in which the following mutations were created. The gene encoding the catalytic subunit of the telomerase is deleted.arrow_forwardIn yeast cells, telomerase remains active and maintains telomeres of about 300 base pairs. Describe how the telomeres would change over time in a yeast lineage after the following mutations were created. a. The gene encoding the catalytic subunit of the telomerase is inactivated. b. The template portion of the telomerase RNA is changed from 5’-ACACCCACA to 5’-ACAUCUACA.arrow_forward
- Nucleosomes can be assembled onto defined DNA segments. When a particular 225-bp segment of human DNA was used to assemble nucleosomes and then incubated with micrococcal nuclease, which digests DNA that is not located within the nucleosome, uniform fragments 147 bp in length were generated. Subsequent digestion of these fragments with a restriction enzyme that cuts once within the original 225-bp sequence produced two well-defined bands at 37 bp and 110 bp. Why do you suppose two well-defined fragments were generated by restriction digestion, rather than a range of fragments of different sizes? How would you interpret this result?arrow_forwardAll of the following statements about telomerase are correct except: A. the RNA component acts as a template for the synthesis of a segment of DNA. B. it adds telomeric repeats to the 5'-ends of the DNA strands. C. it provides a mechanism for replicating the ends of linear chromosomes. D. it recognizes a G-rich single strand of DNA E. it is a reverse transcripcase.arrow_forwardHow many more genes in the plasmid (besides the insulin cDNA insert) are need to determine which bacterial cells have been transformed and to determine which transformed bacterial cells have a plasmid with the cDNA insulin insert? Prior to the ability to produce human insulin in bacteria, insulin was harvested from pig or cow carcasses. A visiting veterinarian told me that domestic cats did better on the “old insulin” than on the genetically engineered human insulin. How might a comparison of the amino acid sequences of cats, pigs, cows, and humans support or fail to support this claim? What is needed in the plasmid with the cDNA insert besides the gene for insulin to actually cause the bacteria to express the insulin gene and produce the insulin protein?arrow_forward
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