Another way to study the role of proteins (e.g., transcription factors) that function in development is to microinject the mRNA that encodes a protein, or the purified protein itself, into an oocyte or embryo, and then determine how this affects the subsequent development of the embryo, larva, and adult. For example, if Bicoid protein is injected into the posterior region of an oocyte, the resulting embryo will develop into a larva that has anterior structures at both ends. Based on your understanding of the function of each developmental gene, what would be the predicted
A. Nanos mRNA injected into the anterior end of an oocyte
B. Antp protein injected into the posterior end of an embryo
C. Toll mRNA injected into the dorsal side of an early embryo
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Genetics: Analysis and Principles
- Which of the following best describes the concept of cell differentiation during the development of a multicellular organism? A. During development, all of the genes in the embryo's cells are expressed at first, but fewer and fewer are expressed as time proceeds. B. During development, different sets of genes are deleted from different cell types so that at the end of development, each cell has only the genes it needs. C. During development, different cells become specialized to have different phenotypes even though they all originated from the same cell. ..arrow_forwardYou inject bicoid MRNA into the posterior end of a fertilized fruit fly egg just prior to the first cleavage. How will the experiment affect Hox gene expression in this fly? How will it affect the fly embryo's anatomy? Explain your answer, demonstrating your understanding of the role bicoid and Hox genes play in development.arrow_forwardProtein levels and mRNA levels for a particualr gene don’t always match. For example, the GCN4 gene in yeast is always producing mRNA, but the Gcn4 protein is only made when the cells are starved. What does this mean for diagnostic techniques that try to look at gene expression?arrow_forward
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- After graduating from UNC Charlotte with the BS in Biology, you get a job with an agro-chemical company and are assigned to a lab that is exploring the use of a newly synthesized compound that may be a possible insecticide. The compound is thought to control insect populations by disrupting the genes that control embryonic development. Your lab conducts an experiment to investigate the influence of the compound on developmental genes by measuring the levels of the proteins the genes code for. You measure protein levels in two groups of insect eggs: the Treatment Group, which is exposed to the compound, and the Control Group, which is exposed to a compound that is known to have no negative effects on gene activity. Your results are shown below. In all graphs, the Control group exhibits normal levels of proteins and gene expression. (Remeber: P > 0.05 means the observed differences are not significant; P < 0.05 means the differences are significant and biologically meaningful).…arrow_forwardAfter graduating from UNC Charlotte with the BS in Biology, you get a job with an agro-chemical company and are assigned to a lab that is exploring the use of a newly synthesized compound that may be a possible insecticide. The compound is thought to control insect populations by disrupting the genes that control embryonic development. Your lab conducts an experiment to investigate the influence of the compound on developmental genes by measuring the levels of the proteins the genes code for. You measure protein levels in two groups of insect eggs: the Treatment Group, which is exposed to the compound, and the Control Group, which is exposed to a compound that is known to have no negative effects on gene activity. Your results are shown below. In all graphs, the Control group exhibits normal levels of proteins and gene expression. (Remeber: P > 0.05 means the observed differences are not significant; P < 0.05 means the differences are significant and biologically meaningful).…arrow_forwardBy whole-exome sequencing, you have identified an early termination mutation in KLHL4 in a human patient with an undiagnosed blood vessel anomaly. There is almost nothing known about the function of this gene, and no existing animal models! To begin to understand its function, you decide to use the zebrafish model. You first want to know where in the embryo this gene is expressed. Which technique would you use to identify the cell type that expresses klhl4 mRNA in zebrafish embryos? You find that this gene is expressed in endothelial cells, which line blood vessels. Intrigued by this finding, you next decide to disrupt the gene in zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9. The DNA sequence that you want to target is below. What is the sequence of your 20-base guide RNA? 5’ TAGCAATTATGCGCGCTAGCAATTGCGTAGGTCATAATGCAGCTGAC 3’ 3’ ATCGTTAATACGCGCGATCGTTAACGCATCCAGTATTACGTCGACTG 5’ After injecting the gRNA with Cas9, what are potential outcomes? Enter true or false.…arrow_forward
- Discuss the role of homeotic genes in development. Explain what happens to the phenotype of a fruit fly when a gain-of-function mutation in a homeotic gene causes the protein to be expressed in an abnormal region of the embryo. What are the consequences of a loss-of-function mutation in such a gene?arrow_forwardDystrophin is a protein that forms part of a vital protein complex that connects the cytoskeleton of a muscle fiber cell to the extracellular matrix. This connection strengthens and shapes the muscle fibers. Dystrophin is coded by the DMD gene. This is one of the longest human genes known, covering 2,300,000 base pairs (0.08% of the human genome) It is located in chromosome 21. The immature mRNA is 2,100,000 bases long and takes 16 hours to transcribe. It contains 79 exons. The mature mRNA measures 14,000 and codes for a protein with 3,685 amino acids. Abnormal expression of dystrophin leads to severe symptoms like muscle weakness and fatigability, a disease that is called muscular dystrophy. Most patients with muscular dystrophy become wheelchair dependent early in life. Cardiac muscle is also affected which results typically in premature death (~ second or third decade of life). Several mutations in this gene have led to the production of low levels of dystrophin or of a defective,…arrow_forwardYou observe that a particular gene is being transcribed during development. How can you tell whether the expression of this gene is under transcriptional or translational control?arrow_forward
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