Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Course List)
11th Edition
ISBN: 9781305251052
Author: Michael Cummings
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Chapter 12, Problem 13QP
The search for the BRCA1 breast cancer gene discussed in this chapter was widely publicized in the media (for example, Newsweek, December 6, 1993). Describe the steps taken by Mary-Claire King and her colleagues to clone this gene. How long did this process take?
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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?
Do 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?
Unneeded genes in an adult animal cell are permanently inactivated,making it impossible for most specialized cells to turn into any othercell type. How does this arrangement save energy inside a cell? Whydoes the ability to clone an adult mammal depend on techniques forreactivating these “dormant” genes?
Chapter 12 Solutions
Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 12.10 - If improved diagnostic tests are developed from...Ch. 12.10 - If you had cancer, would you donate tissue samples...Ch. 12.10 - Prob. 1GRCh. 12.10 - Another model, the random model, proposes that any...Ch. 12 - Mike was referred for genetic counseling because...Ch. 12 - Mike was referred for genetic counseling because...Ch. 12 - Mike was referred for genetic counseling because...Ch. 12 - Theodor Boveri predicted that malignancies would...Ch. 12 - Distinguish between a familial and a sporadic...Ch. 12 - Benign tumors: a. are noncancerous growths that do...
Ch. 12 - Prob. 4QPCh. 12 - Prob. 5QPCh. 12 - Prob. 6QPCh. 12 - Prob. 7QPCh. 12 - Prob. 8QPCh. 12 - What is the difference between a proto-oncogene...Ch. 12 - Distinguish between dominant inheritance and...Ch. 12 - Describe the likelihood of developing bilateral...Ch. 12 - Prob. 12QPCh. 12 - The search for the BRCA1 breast cancer gene...Ch. 12 - What are the roles of cellular proto-oncogenes,...Ch. 12 - Which of the following mutations will result in...Ch. 12 - Prob. 16QPCh. 12 - The following family has a history of inherited...Ch. 12 - You are in charge of a new gene therapy clinic....Ch. 12 - Prob. 19QPCh. 12 - Can you postulate a reason or reasons why children...Ch. 12 - Prob. 21QPCh. 12 - In Section 12-1, Julie is concerned that she may...Ch. 12 - Prob. 23QPCh. 12 - What are some factors that epidemiologists have...Ch. 12 - Smoking cigarettes has been shown to be associated...Ch. 12 - Prob. 26QPCh. 12 - Studies have shown that there are significant...
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- Two genes associated with breast cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2, were discovered in 1994 and 1995, respectively, and shortly thereafter, were patented by Myriad Genetics, a company based in Utah. Under the patents, testing for mutations in these genes could only be performed by Myriad, at costs from 300 to 3,000. Myriad also patented the process of analyzing the results of such tests, preventing anyone who obtains the sequence of their BRCA genes by other means (which itself would probably be patent infringement) from interpreting the information. The idea that genes can be patented has been a contentious issue from the beginning. Patents are not granted for products of nature, meaning that genes inside the body are not patentable, but biotech companies successfully argued that by removing a gene from the human body, purifying it, and then obtaining its DNA sequence, they created something not found in nature, and which is therefore a patentable invention. The U.S. Patent Office found the argument persuasive, but opponents argue that genes are parts of our bodies and can be identified but not invented. Biotech companies argue that without the protection offered by patents, they would have no incentive for research and development of diagnostic tests. In Europe, patents for BRCA1 and BRCA2 were revoked in 2004 because they did not meet the standards for a patent. After more than a decade of legal disputes, the patents were partially restored in 2008 on a very restricted basis. In the United States, a lawsuit, focused on the patents for the BRCA genes, was filed in May 2009. The suit challenges the basic idea that genes are patentable. In November 2009, the judge ruled that the lawsuit can proceed, and the case is moving forward. In March 2010, a federal court invalidated Myriad Genetics patent on these genes. In August 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed the lower courts decision and ruled that gene sequences isolated from cells are not a product of nature and are therefore patentable. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ordered the appeals court to reconsider the case. The Federal Appeals Court did not change its decision, and the case once again, went to the U.S. Supreme Court. A unanimous decision in June 2013 invalidated Myriads patents on the basis that isolating a gene from nature does not make it patentable. This is a landmark decision on gene patenting with widespread ramifications for the biotechnoloogy industry. Will this decision reduce the incentives for companies to invest in new diagnostic tests that would be used by cancer victims or those with serious genetic disorders?arrow_forwardCloning Genes Is a Multistep Process In cloning human DNA, why is it necessary to insert the DNA into a vector such as a bacterial plasmid?arrow_forwardWhat Are Clones? Cloning is a general term used for whole organisms and DNA sequences. Define what we mean when we say we have a clone.arrow_forward
- What is the difference between molecular cloning and reproductive cloning?arrow_forwardWhy is DNA microarray an important tool and explain How is DNA microarray used in detecting cancer?arrow_forwardAn unapproved form of gene therapy, known as enhancement gene therapy, can create considerable ethical dilemmas. Why?arrow_forward
- Discuss the times in a person’s life when it is most important toavoid mutagens. Which parts of a person’s body should be the mosthighly protected from mutagens?arrow_forwardWhy was cDNA and not genomic DNA used in the commercial cloning of the human insulin gene?arrow_forwardWhy are X rays more potent mutagens than UV radiation?arrow_forward
- DNA sequencing has provided data to indicate that cancer cells may contain tens of thousands of somatic mutations, only some of which confer a growth advantage to a cancer cell. How do scientists describe and categorize these recently discovered populations of mutations in cancer cells?arrow_forwardDescribe the process of somatic cell nuclear transfer and how it is used to create cloned cells. Explain what you consider to be the positive and negative aspects of cloning both scientifically and morally, giving at least three ‘for’ and three ‘against’ points – Discuss whether you think it is a good use of science and will benefit mankind or whether you believe it is unethical and should no longer be pursued?arrow_forwardWhen doing the virtual DNA microarray analysis, which color (red, green or yellow) would the spot be if that gene was inappropriately inactivated in the cancer cell? When doing the virtual DNA microarray analysis, which color (red, green or yellow) indicated that the cancer cell had an activated a gene that is not normally as active in the non-cancerous version of the cell?arrow_forward
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