BIO133 Exam 4

Structures used in recombinant DNA technology to carry the DNA from the cells of one species to the cells of another species are...

Cloning vectors

What condition is a good candidate for gene therapy (regardless of whether you think it should be done or not)?

Cystic fibrosis

What is a known human carcinogen (according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer)?

DES (a synthetic estrogen)

T/F: Assisted Reproductive Technologies can essentially "reverse the aging clock" and make motherhood a reality for all women

False

T/F: Cancer death rates are increasing in the US to epidemic proportions

False

T/F: GMO foods are less healthy than non-GMO foods

False

T/F: People are not at risk of cancer if they have no family history

False

T/F: Pollution is a greater risk for lung cancer than smoking

False

T/F: Duplication of a chromosome in a cancer cell reduces the copies of an oncogene.

False. A duplication can increase the number of copies of a particular oncogene from 2-one on each of a pair of homologs- to up to 100.

T/F: Cancer begins when a cell divides less frequently than it should

False. Cancer begins when a cell divides more often than it should

T/F: Most cases of cancer are caused by normal chromosomes

False. Chromosome abnormalities cause these mutations that lead to cancer

T/F: Most cancers are the result of a single genetic change

False. Most cancers are the result of a series of genetic changes in several genes

T/F: A mutation in the APC gene occurs commonly in colon cancer. Everyone who inherits the APC mutation will develop colon cancer

False. Not everyone who inherits the APC mutation will develop colon cancer.

T/F: GMO wheat may be responsible for gluten sensitivity.

False. There is no GMO wheat in your diet

In the DNA toolbox, DNA ligase is used like...

Glue

Jesse Gelsinger was injected with an adenovirus carrying a functional version of the OTC gene. The viruses were injected into his liver through an artery. What type of gene therapy was this?

In vivo

A cancer's spread is called..

Metastasis

The leading cause of infertility in females is...

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

T/F: Men can develop breast cancer

True

T/F: Fertility declines with age

True for both men and women

Genetic modification

Alters, deletes, or adds DNA to a cell

What is passed on when a germline mutation has occurred?

Cancer susceptibility

Cancer cells...

Divide uncontrollably & are immortal

Mutations that enable cancer cells to grow and divide faster than other normal cells are known as _____ mutations

Driver

p53 gene

Plays a role in either DNA repair or apoptosis

A test for mutant alleles in a fetus for a condition that is present in a family is a...

Prenatal test

A DNA molecule that includes nucleotide sequences from 2 different organisms is called a ...

Recombinant DNA molecule

DNA is cut into fragments by...

Restriction enzymes

Some restriction enzymes produce ____ that are complementary to each other

Sticky ends

Oldest approach to treating cancer

Surgery

Restriction enzymes are used...

To cut DNA at precise locations

T/F: Translocations that join parts of non-homologous chromosomes turn genes into oncogenes

True

T/F: the process of a tumor spreading is called metastasis

True

Germline therapy differs from somatic gene therapy in that...

with germline therapy the DNA of a gamete or fertilized ovum is altered and is passed to future generations

Loss of Cell Cycle control

-A mutation in a gene that halts or slows the cell cycle can lift the constraint, leading to inappropriate mitosis -Failure to pause in order to repair DNA can allow a mutation in an oncogene or tumor suppressor gene to persist

Oncogenes characteristics

-Activation causes cancer -Cancer entails a gain-of-function -Activation is usually associated with a point mutation

What are services are provided by genetic counselors?

-Construction of pedigrees based on information provided by patients and families -Gene therapy treatments for inherited disorders

What events at the cellular level can result in development of cancer?

-Dedifferentiation -Activation of cancer stem cells -Increase in the proportion of stem cells within a tissue -Defective tissue repair

Tumor suppressor genes description

-Deletion causes cancer -Cancer entails a loss-of-function

Passenger mutation

-Does not cause cancer -Occurs in cancerous & noncancerous cells -Number of mutations increases with the patient's age

Conditions that a transgenic organism must satisfy in order to be patented

-It must be new -It must be useful -It must not be obvious to an expert in the field

What are characteristics of a typical cancer cell?

-Loss of cell cycle control -Dedifferentiated -Lack of contact inhibition -Can induce blood vessel formation

Driver mutation

-Provides selective growth advantage to cells -Occurs in 130 genes

Characteristics of cancer cells:

-They are dedifferentiated -They divide faster -They lack contact inhibition

Steps in RNA interference

1.) dicer cuts double-stranded RNAs 2.) Double-stranded RNAs separate 3.) Separated siRNAs bind RISC and target mRNA 4.) Target mRNA is cut

Nuclear replacement therapy is a technique that involved removing the nucleus from a woman's egg and putting the nucleus in an egg from an egg donor (the nucleus has been removed from this egg). The modified egg is then fertilized with sperm and implanted in the uterus of the woman attempting to achieve pregnancy. If a child results from this technique, how many genetic parents does the child have?

3

Cloning vector

A DNA molecule into which another piece of DNA can be inserted

Cancer can result from a failure of...

A cell cycle checkpoint

Dana Reeve, the wife of actor Christopher Reeve, died at a young age from lung cancer, although she never smoked. Her cancer was likely caused by:

A germinline mutation

Radiation

A method of treatment that causes adverse effects by harming healthy cells

A naturally occurring, small, circle of DNA used as a vector to transmit DNA is...

A plasmid

Onogenes may block...

Apoptosis

How likely is a woman aged 35 to become pregnant naturally? (according to graph)

Approx. 20% per month

A non-invasive tumor that stays in one place is...

Benign

The release of bacteria or plants that can detoxify pollutants is called...

Bioremediation

The use or alteration of cells or biological molecules for specific applications is called...

Biotechnology

A test that confirms the diagnosis of an inherited disorder on an individual's symptoms is a...

Diagnostic test

Sperm was first successfully frozen in 1953. It took over 30 years to successfully freeze eggs and it was not until 2012 that egg freezing was no longer considered experimental. Why do you think this might be?

Eggs contain more cytoplasm and thus more water so they were more easily destroyed by crystals formed during freezing

Ashanti's doctor drew her blood and treated her defective white blood cells with the gene she lacked. The altered cells were then injected back into her, where- the doctors hoped-they would produce the enzyme she needed as well as produce future generations of normal cells. What type of gene therapy was this?

Ex vivo

Activation of a proto-onogene into an oncogene could occur due to a mutation or a change in the _____ of the wild-type gene

Expression

T/F: Oncogenes cause cancer when they are inactivated

False. Oncogenes cause cancer when they are activated inappropriately. Tumor suppressor genes can cause cancer when they are inactivated

T/F: most cases of cancer are inherited by as single-gene disorders.

False. Only about 10% of cancers are inherited as single-gene disorders

T/F: Chromosomes in cancer cells exist in normal numbers

False. The chromosomes in cancer cells may be abnormal in number &/or structure

T/F: Cancer is a contagious disease.

False: HPV is a virus that causes cancer, most of the time

T/F: all tumors are cancerous.

False: a tumor is cancerous only if it infiltrates nearby tissue

Tumor suppressor genes

Genes whose products inhibit mitosis

Preconception comprehensive carrier testing is a single test that detects close to 500 inherited disorders that affect children. The diseases that are included in the panel for testing must meet certain criteria, including:

High penetrance

Why is cystic fibrosis is the best candidate for gene therapy?

It is a single gene trait and we know the gene, its protein product, and how the mutation affects the protein

A population wide test for several inborn errors of metabolism that is administered to infants is a...

Newborn screen

Small circular DNA molecules that are found in some bacteria, yeasts, and plant cells are called...

Plasmids

A test for a highly penetrant mutation that is administered to an individual at high risk for an adult onset disorder based on his or her family history is a ....

Predictive test

Genes that normally stimulate cell division when it is appropriate are called...

Proto-oncogenes

A molecule that consists of a piece of DNA from one organism combined with the DNA from a member of another species

Recombinant DNA

Proteins isolated from bacteria and used in recombinant DNA technology to cut DNA at specific sequence

Restriction enzymes

A mutation that occurs in cells that do not develop into gametes is called a ____ mutation

Somatic

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor

Targeted based on genetic info

Cancer cells often have longer telomeres due to reactivation of the enzyme ___

Telomerase

Telomeres are important in cancer research because it has been found that...

Telomerase activity is turned off in normal cells, and on in some cancer cells

The purpose of creating GMO organisms that glow in ultraviolet light is to...

Test the concept that an organism can accept a foreign gene by using a gene product that is easily visible

Genetic technologies are possible because...

The genetic code is universal

Traditional treatments for cancer, such as radiation & chemotherapy, are effective because...

They kill rapidly dividing cells

A multicellular organism that carries DNA from other species

Transgenic

An organism that contains DNA from other species is called a ....

Transgenic organism

A fusion protein can be produced due to the _____ of a proto-oncogene to a site next to another gene

Translocation

T/F: A mutation present in all stages of a tumor acts early in the disease process

True

T/F: Chromosomes in cancer cells may bear translocations

True

T/F: Most, if not all, of the food I eat has been genetically modified

True

T/F: Research has shown that a "cocktail" of several drugs, each acting on a different cellular pathway, is the best approach to treat many cancers.

True

T/F: Somatic cells may develop mutations in cancer-causing genes

True

T/F: The food you purchase in the grocery store is required to have label indicating whether or not it contains GMOs

True

T/F: The older a tumor is, the more genetic changes it will have

True

T/F: Chromothripsis shatters several chromosomes and may kill the cell- or trigger cancer.

True.

DNA ligase

Used to attach DNA strands

Germline gene therapy could potentially correct a genetic defect in an...

affected individual and all of his or her descendants

Making many copies of a specific DNA sequence is called...

cloning

A tumor suppressor gene mutation that causes cancer is usually a....

deletion

Cancer susceptibility is passed onto future generations when a ____ mutation occurred

germline

cDNA library

made from the mRNAs in a differentiated cell and represents only protein-coding genes

A test that identifies heterozygotes is a population is a...

population carrier screen

Sporadic cancer is due to ____ mutations

somatic