BCH190 The Way We Work With Life
Study Guide Quiz 08, 2006
1. Plants have been genetically modified with foreign DNA to introduce useful traits from outside the plant genome. This process of transferring DNA constructs developed in the lab has also been accomplished in animals and may be useful for medical purposes in humans. The process of taking a gene from one species and placing it in the genome of another species is referred to as:
2. Stem cell research in humans is controversial, in part, because of the ‘slippery slope’ argument. It is suggested that the same technology that is developed for stem cells and therapeutic cloning could easily be extended to
3. The defining characteristic(s) of adult stem cells are
4. Adult Stem Cells are
5. The lack of available human donor organs for transplant has motivated scientists to investigate new ways to replace the functions of diseased organs. Promising approaches to this problem that have received considerable research are
6. The control of biological feedback loops through modern biotechnology is of key interest to
7. What is gene therapy?
8. Embryonic Stem Cells (ES Cells) are:
9. Small molecules released by one organism which fit receptor sites in a similar organism can trigger an alteration in its chemistry and/or behavior. Some of these molecules fit allosteric receptors on a cell surface and trigger sexual behavior and mating in animals. For example these types of molecules can be released into the air by a female mole that can reach receptor proteins in the nose of an (unsuspecting) male mole and trigger a chain of events leading to mating. These types of signal molecules are called
10. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is method for making ‘personalized’ stem cell from a patient that could then be used to treat that patient without the risk of immuno-rejection. The necessary steps to do this would include: Nuclear Transfer using subject’s somatic cells and injecting the nucleus into and unfertilized egg that has had it’s DNA removed, In vitro culture to or that egg to the blastocyst stage, ES cell derivation by disrupting that embryo, In vitro differentiation to the desired cell type to treat the disease, Engraftment of the personalized stem cells to effect a cure. In a recent case in South Korea a stem cell researcher, named Woo Suk Hwang, claimed to accomplish all of these steps. Recently the world was shocked to learn
11. The control of gene expression is critical to all living things. The amino acid trypophan is important for making many proteins. When there is plenty of trypophan in a cell a protein binds to the gene that codes for enzyme that will make trypophan. When there is no trypohan present this protein falls off the DNA allowing the gene to be expressed so more trypophan can be made. A protein that binds to a site on DNA next to a gene and blocks the transcription of that gene, thus preventing the synthesis of a protein that the gene prescribes is known as a:
12. Having the capability to signal sense and react is a central feature to all biological life processes. What are regulatory processes in which there are signals indicating "too much" or "too little" which result in a correction to the processes?
13. Xenotransplantion seeks to develop the technology to use animal organs as donor tissues for human recipients; that is, the transplantation of organs/tissues/cells across species lines. The first attempts at xenotransplantion were conducted using the bone from dog to repair the skull of a Russian aristocrat
14. The history behind the development and therapeutic applications for adult stem cells includes that they:
15. Many diseases are characterized by organ failure or cell loss. These types of disease are attractive candidates for stem cell therapy and include:
16. Pigs have been genetically modified and cloned to produce donor pigs that have had the major proteins removed that are responsible for immuno rejection. The drawbacks or obstacles for xenotransplantion are:
17. Feedback in biological pathways is critical to maintain function. The shape of a protein is determined by its amino acid sequence specified by the gene that codes for that protein. However regulatory proteins that control key points in biological pathways can change shape when a signal molecule enters a specific site. The shape-changing capacity of enzymes that allows them to turn chemical processes on and off is called
18. The manipulation of cells in vitro (outside of the body in tissue or cell culture) in order to form replacement tissues/organs that can be transplanted into patient is called:
19. Stem cells give rise specialized cells residing in organs. One of the hallmark characteristics of stem cells is a prolonged capacity for self-renewal. Another hallmark characteristic of stem cells is their
20. The production of embryonic stem cells is controversial because