BIOTECHNOLOGY END OF COURSE EXAM QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Explain the six steps in reproductive cloning for mammals - ✔✔1. cultured mammary
cells are semi starved, arresting the cell cycle and causing dedifferentiation.
2. the nucleus of an egg cell is removed
3. the cells are fused together
4. grown in culture
5. implanted in uterus
6. embryonic development and birth to clone
✔✔What are stem cells? - ✔✔relatively unspecialized cells that can reproduce
indefinitely and under the right conditions differentiate into specialized cells.
✔✔What is the major difference between embryonic stem cells (ES) and adult stem
cells? - ✔✔Embryonic stem cells can generate all embryonic cell types, are from
blastocyst stage of embryo
Adult stem cells come from adult cells such as in one marrow, they can generate a
limited number of cell types. these stem cells are not yet fully understood
✔✔How might induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) resolve the debate about using stem
cells for medical treatments? - ✔✔They behave similarly to stem cells but are still
relatively not understood. Cells are taken and reverted into stem cells instead of being
harvested from human embryos.
✔✔Explain how single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and restriction fragment
length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were demonstrated in analyzing sickle cell alleles -
✔✔SNPs cause a restriction enzyme to cut differently since the specific sequence may
be repeated more or less between cells. This results in different restriction fragment
length polymorphisms. When run on the gel, we see different banding patterns because
of these SNPs and consequent RFLPs.
✔✔Explain the idea of gene therapy, and discuss the problems with this technique as
demonstrated in the treatment of SCID - ✔✔Gene therapy is introducing genes into an
afflicted individual for therapeutic purposed. Normal allele is inserted into the affected
somatic cells. Excellent in theory but has some problems in practice. In the patients
being treated with gene therapy for their SCID, 3 developed leukemia. It is possible that
this happened because the DNA was injected close to a gene that codes for
proliferation of blood cells, it is not always controlled where the new DNA is inserted and
this can have disastrous effects on the genome
✔✔Explain how transgenic "pharm" animals might be able to produce human proteins -
✔✔DNA for a foreign gene is injected into the nucleus of a fertilized egg in vitro. Animal
grows and expresses the gene by producing the protein that is coded for
, ✔✔Describe how short tandem repeats can produce a sensitive genetic profile. -
✔✔Short tandem repeats are repeats of certain sequences before and after the actual
allele coded for in a gene. They are often inherited with the allele. Based on the number
of short tandem repeats present in a person, a profile of the entire genome is very
unique and no one else will all of the same short tandem repeats as a person except for
in the case of identical twins.
✔✔How does the Ti plasmid make genetic engineering in plants a possibility? - ✔✔It is
from a soil bacterium that integrates a specific segment of its DNA into the host cells
DNA. This certain segment can be modified to contain the desired gene.
✔✔What are genetically modified organisms, and why are they controversial? -
✔✔Food that has been modified with foreign genes to have more desirable traits for
production. They are controversial for many reasons. They might spread their genetic
modifications to their wild relatives causing super weeds, humans may have allergic
reactions, getting rid of diversity, have unknown effects on humans, etc.
✔✔Plants are more readily manipulated by genetic engineering than animals because
___? - ✔✔unlike somatic animal cells, a somatic plant cell can often give rise to a
complete plant
✔✔A small sample of dodo bird DNA is found, what technique should be used to
increase the amount of the DNA for testing to be done? - ✔✔Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR) to amplify the genes
✔✔In recombinant DNA, the term vector can refer to___ - ✔✔a plasmid used to transfer
DNA into a living cell
✔✔What can cDNA not be used for in terms of information storage - ✔✔It cannot be
used to create a complete genomic library because it is derived from mRNA and only
contains exons not the complete genome
✔✔Expression of a cloned eukaryotic gene in a bacterial cell involves many challenges.
The use of mRNA and reverse transcriptase is part of a strategy to solve the problem of
____? - ✔✔post-transcriptional processing (bateria dont have these capabilities like
eukaryotes)
✔✔What is electroporation? - ✔✔a method to introducing recombinant DNA into
eukaryotic cells. Brief electrical pulse is applied, creating temporary holes in the plasma
membrane
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Explain the six steps in reproductive cloning for mammals - ✔✔1. cultured mammary
cells are semi starved, arresting the cell cycle and causing dedifferentiation.
2. the nucleus of an egg cell is removed
3. the cells are fused together
4. grown in culture
5. implanted in uterus
6. embryonic development and birth to clone
✔✔What are stem cells? - ✔✔relatively unspecialized cells that can reproduce
indefinitely and under the right conditions differentiate into specialized cells.
✔✔What is the major difference between embryonic stem cells (ES) and adult stem
cells? - ✔✔Embryonic stem cells can generate all embryonic cell types, are from
blastocyst stage of embryo
Adult stem cells come from adult cells such as in one marrow, they can generate a
limited number of cell types. these stem cells are not yet fully understood
✔✔How might induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) resolve the debate about using stem
cells for medical treatments? - ✔✔They behave similarly to stem cells but are still
relatively not understood. Cells are taken and reverted into stem cells instead of being
harvested from human embryos.
✔✔Explain how single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and restriction fragment
length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were demonstrated in analyzing sickle cell alleles -
✔✔SNPs cause a restriction enzyme to cut differently since the specific sequence may
be repeated more or less between cells. This results in different restriction fragment
length polymorphisms. When run on the gel, we see different banding patterns because
of these SNPs and consequent RFLPs.
✔✔Explain the idea of gene therapy, and discuss the problems with this technique as
demonstrated in the treatment of SCID - ✔✔Gene therapy is introducing genes into an
afflicted individual for therapeutic purposed. Normal allele is inserted into the affected
somatic cells. Excellent in theory but has some problems in practice. In the patients
being treated with gene therapy for their SCID, 3 developed leukemia. It is possible that
this happened because the DNA was injected close to a gene that codes for
proliferation of blood cells, it is not always controlled where the new DNA is inserted and
this can have disastrous effects on the genome
✔✔Explain how transgenic "pharm" animals might be able to produce human proteins -
✔✔DNA for a foreign gene is injected into the nucleus of a fertilized egg in vitro. Animal
grows and expresses the gene by producing the protein that is coded for
, ✔✔Describe how short tandem repeats can produce a sensitive genetic profile. -
✔✔Short tandem repeats are repeats of certain sequences before and after the actual
allele coded for in a gene. They are often inherited with the allele. Based on the number
of short tandem repeats present in a person, a profile of the entire genome is very
unique and no one else will all of the same short tandem repeats as a person except for
in the case of identical twins.
✔✔How does the Ti plasmid make genetic engineering in plants a possibility? - ✔✔It is
from a soil bacterium that integrates a specific segment of its DNA into the host cells
DNA. This certain segment can be modified to contain the desired gene.
✔✔What are genetically modified organisms, and why are they controversial? -
✔✔Food that has been modified with foreign genes to have more desirable traits for
production. They are controversial for many reasons. They might spread their genetic
modifications to their wild relatives causing super weeds, humans may have allergic
reactions, getting rid of diversity, have unknown effects on humans, etc.
✔✔Plants are more readily manipulated by genetic engineering than animals because
___? - ✔✔unlike somatic animal cells, a somatic plant cell can often give rise to a
complete plant
✔✔A small sample of dodo bird DNA is found, what technique should be used to
increase the amount of the DNA for testing to be done? - ✔✔Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR) to amplify the genes
✔✔In recombinant DNA, the term vector can refer to___ - ✔✔a plasmid used to transfer
DNA into a living cell
✔✔What can cDNA not be used for in terms of information storage - ✔✔It cannot be
used to create a complete genomic library because it is derived from mRNA and only
contains exons not the complete genome
✔✔Expression of a cloned eukaryotic gene in a bacterial cell involves many challenges.
The use of mRNA and reverse transcriptase is part of a strategy to solve the problem of
____? - ✔✔post-transcriptional processing (bateria dont have these capabilities like
eukaryotes)
✔✔What is electroporation? - ✔✔a method to introducing recombinant DNA into
eukaryotic cells. Brief electrical pulse is applied, creating temporary holes in the plasma
membrane
