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 22, Problem 26ESP
Craig Venter and others have constructed synthetic copies of viral genomes. For example, the genome for poliovirus and the 1918 influenza strain responsible for the pandemic flu have been assembled this way. The United States currently has a moratorium on federal funding for “gain-of-function” experiments which increase the virulence or transmission potential of viruses. What concerns might ethicists have about synthetic biology studies involving potential pandemic pathogens?
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When Wimmer and coworkers announced that they had synthesized the poliovirus, they created considerable controversy. Some people feared that deadly and highly contagious viruses might be synthesized by bioterrorists. The researchers responded that they were merely applying current knowledge and techniques to demonstrate the principle that viruses are basically chemical entities that can be synthesized in the laboratory. Do you think scientists should synthesize viruses or other agents that can cause infectious disease? What are the implications of forbidding such research?
Do you see any potential problems with inserting pieces of a retroviral genome into humans? If so, are there ways to combat or prevent these problems? (You may want to look up the definition of a retrovirus.) Explain your answer.
Some Covid 19 vaccines in development use the adenovirus, a common vector used in gene therapies, to inject the mRNa for the spike protein into human muscle cells. Why might vaccines using a virus vector be more likely to need only refrigeration and not deep-cold storage?
Some older vaccines used a weakened strain of the pathogenic virus in the injection in the hope that the weakened virus would induce an immune response without causing disease. The virus vectors used in genetic engineering have all the harmful virus genes cut out and replaced with the foreign gene, such as one that makes a protein that is absent in the human patient. Which type of viral vaccine would you prefer to take as the safest option? Why?
Chapter 22 Solutions
Concepts of Genetics (12th Edition)
Ch. 22 - In order to vaccinate people against diseases by...Ch. 22 - Prob. 2NSTCh. 22 - Prob. 1CSCh. 22 - Prob. 2CSCh. 22 - Prob. 3CSCh. 22 - HOW DO WE KNOW? In this chapter, we focused on a...Ch. 22 - Prob. 2PDQCh. 22 - Why are most recombinant human proteins produced...Ch. 22 - One of the major causes of sickness, death, and...Ch. 22 - Sequencing the human genome, the development of...
Ch. 22 - Prob. 6PDQCh. 22 - As genetic testing becomes widespread, medical...Ch. 22 - Prob. 8PDQCh. 22 - Prob. 9PDQCh. 22 - Does genetic analysis by ASO testing allow for...Ch. 22 - Maternal blood tests for three pregnant women...Ch. 22 - What is the main purpose of genome-wide...Ch. 22 - Describe how the team from the J. Craig Venter...Ch. 22 - Prob. 14PDQCh. 22 - Prob. 15PDQCh. 22 - Dominant mutations can be categorized according to...Ch. 22 - In 2013 the actress Angelina Jolie elected to have...Ch. 22 - Prob. 18PDQCh. 22 - Should the FDA regulate direct-to-consumer genetic...Ch. 22 - Prob. 20ESPCh. 22 - Following the tragic shooting of 20 children at a...Ch. 22 - Private companies are offering personal DNA...Ch. 22 - Prob. 23ESPCh. 22 - Prob. 24ESPCh. 22 - Prob. 25ESPCh. 22 - Craig Venter and others have constructed synthetic...
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, biology and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- What are the similarities and differences between retroviruses and retrotransposons? It has been hypothesized that retroviruses evolved from retrotransposons. Do you agree with this model? Justify your answer.arrow_forwardTo understand the genes responsible for growth and infectivity in a disease-causing bacterial strain, you perform chemical mutagenesis on a culture of these bacteria. In the course of your investigation into the properties of the resulting mutants, you identify a set of mutant bacteria that is still viable but their virulence is significantly impaired. How might these mutants be useful for vaccine development?arrow_forwardWhy not just inject the double-stranded cDNA that codes for the spike protein of the virus? What additional step or steps would you need to use to get the human muscle cells to produce the spike protein if the cDNA was injected to serve as the virus? The new Covid19 vaccine produced by two companies (Pfizer, Moderna) uses mRNA coding for part of the spike protein of the virus. The virus uses the spike protein to invade human cells where it replicates. Is it surprising that the mRNA must be stabilized with chemicals that need ultra-cold or frozen storage to protect the mRNA from degradation before it causes human muscle cells to make the spike protein?arrow_forward
- Based on genotyping, comparative genomics, phylogenetics and using the tools of bioinformatics, explain why it can be confirmed that the COVID-19 virus was NOT developed as a biological weapon and/or artificially released by a laboratory either accidentally or for nefarious purposes.arrow_forwardIn 1918, an influenza pandemic that originated with avian flu killed 50 million people. Researchers isolated samples of that virus from bodies of infected people preserved in Alaskan permafrost since 1918. From the samples, they sequenced the viral genome, then reconstructed the virus. The reconstructed virus is 39,000 times more infectious than modern influenza strains, and 100 percent lethal in mice. Understanding how this virus works can help us defend ourselves against other deadly influenza strains that arise. For example, discovering what makes it so infectious would help researchers design more effective vaccines. Critics of the research are concerned: If the virus escapes the containment facilities (even though it has not done so yet), it might cause another pandemic. Worse, terrorists could use the published DNA sequence and methods to make the virus for horrific purposes. Do you think this research makes us more or less safe?arrow_forwardDo you see any potential problems with inserting pieces of a retroviral genome into humans? If so, are there ways to combat or prevent these problems? Explain your answer.arrow_forward
- What does the acronym CRISPR stand for? Briefly outline the components of the CRISPR/Cas system. What is the function of the CRISPR/Cas system?What do you think about the ethical impacts of a technology such as CRISPR? What is the main parameter that is used to define new virus families among archaeal viruses? List and outline that various stages through which bacteria and archaea fight back against infection with viruses.arrow_forwardExplain why the discovery of retroviruses is important to the field of molecular biologyarrow_forwardThe new Covid19 vaccine produced by two companies (Pfizer, Moderna) uses mRNA coding for part of the spike protein of the virus. The virus uses the spike protein to invade human cells where it replicates. Is it surprising that the mRNA must be stabilized with chemicals that need ultra-cold or frozen storage to protect the mRNA from degradation before it causes human muscle cells to make the spike protein? Some Covid 19 vaccines in development use the adenovirus, a common vector used in gene therapies, to inject the mRNa for the spike protein into human muscle cells. Why might vaccines using a virus vector be more likely to need only refrigeration and not deep-cold storage, given what you know about viruses? Some older vaccines used a weakened strain of the pathogenic virus in the injection in the hope that the weakened virus would induce an immune response without causing disease. The virus vectors used in genetic engineering have all the harmful virus genes cut out and replaced with…arrow_forward
- Do you think that this occurrence of medical breakthroughs that resulted to drug-resistant viruses might be prevented? If so, how?arrow_forwardWhat is the major difference between genomic DNA and cDNA? List various vectors and state which is the best vector to create transgenic plants? What is the scientific logic on which CRISPR Technology has been designed? Why Artificial Intelligence is turning out to be a potential replacement for traditional radiological approaches? Review the introduction and discussion in the Nature Medicine Paper on the blackboard? What is immunotherapy? What was the underlying motivation that inspired James Allison to undertake this direction of research?arrow_forwardWhich of the following models best depicts how the genetic information in a retrovirus is eventually translated into proteins? A) DNA in the retrovirus → RNA in the host cell → Proteins B) RNA in the retrovirus → DNA in the host cell → RNA in the host cell → Proteins C) RNA in the retrovirus → mRNA in the host cell → Proteins D) DNA in the retrovirus → mRNA in the host cell → Proteinsarrow_forward
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What Is A Virus ? ; Author: Peekaboo Kidz;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS7vsBgWszI;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY