Deck 19: Applications and Ethics of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Question 1

List the general genetic requirements and guidelines for gene therapy.

Answer 1

The gene must be available for cloning, there must be an effective means of transferring the gene, target tissue must be accessible, and no other effective therapy can be available.

Question 2

How is a microarray used to scan for mutations in a genome?

Answer 2

DNA is extracted from cells and cut with one or more restriction enzymes. The fragments are fluorescence tagged, denatured, and annealed to the DNA in the array. Massive amounts of DNA can be screened for sequence changes in a
relatively short period of time. It is possible to detect single nucleotide changes under optimal conditions, possibly providing information of a diseased state.

Question 3

What is an allele -specific oligonucleotide?

Answer 3

An allele -specific oligonucleotide is a stretch of DNA capable of either base pairing with a specific allele or failing to do so. Either way, such
oligonucleotides can be used, under stringent hybridization conditions, to detect minor differences in DNA sequences.

Question 4

A term often used to describe an organism that is a genetic mosaic, resulting from the introduction of DNA from another organism, is _.

Question 5

Prenatal detection of human diseases has been greatly enhanced by two procedures. Name and briefly describe each.

Question 6

Under strictly controlled conditions, a probe can be used that will hybridize only with its complementary sequence and not with other sequences that may vary by as little as one nucleotide. What are such probes called?

A) allele -specific oligonucleotides (ASOs)
B) generation -specific probes
C) microsatellites
D) VNTRs
E) short, variable repeats

Question 7

Describe the structure of a DNA microarray and its use.

Question 8

Name at least three applications for examining sequence variants such as RFLPs.

Question 9

A DNA microarray (also called a DNA chip) can be used to

A) mutate genes of interest
B) assay protein output from a genomic database
C) isolate genes from eukaryotic cell nuclei
D) trap genes that are both active and inactive ________.
E) scan a population of nucleic acids for abundance and mutations

Question 10

Generally, vaccines are used to stimulate the immune system by providing antigens of potential pathogens. What is the typical composition of a vaccine?

Question 11

Many instances involving genetically modified organisms, especially food crops, will be entering the human food chain in the years to come. On what basis are genetically modified foods considered safe to eat?

A) They are only slightly toxic.
B) Genetically modified food products are considered safe if they are found to be not toxic or allergenic or have other negative physiological effects.
C) All products to be cleared for human consumption have been personally tested by all members of the regulatory agency.
D) Each genetically modified food product is screened for its resistance to antibiotics.
E) Because of the possible economic impact of rigorous testing, such food products are minimally tested in sheep and cattle.

Question 12

Briefly describe what is meant by gene therapy.

Question 13

The first person to receive gene therapy was a young girl with adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency. Outline the therapeutic steps involved.

Question 14

Briefly describe what is meant by the term edible vaccine.

Question 15

The transfer of genes into somatic cells is called ________, whereas the transfer of
genes into the germ line is called ________; ________ is a form of therapy in which human potential can be enhanced for some desired trait.

Question 16

RFLPs are commonly used in recombinant DNA technology to _.

A) substitute for oligonucleotides
B) cleave DNA of interest
C) map genes and construct DNA fingerprints
D) serve as recombinant DNA vectors
E) generate pharmaceutical products of interest

Question 17

What makes "golden rice" golden?

Question 18

Once DNA is separated on a gel, it is often desirable to gain some idea of its informational content. How might this be done?

Question 19

Which term is commonly used to describe the production of valuable proteins in genetically modified plants and animals?

A) genetiproduction
B) aniplafarming
C) biopharming
D) faunafarming
E) culturing

Question 20

Which of the following characteristics do SNPs have?

A) variable amino acid substitutions, highly heterogeneous
B) variable base sequences, variable in the population
C) small noteworthy transcribed regions, lethal genes
D) variable numbers of tandem repeats, highly uniform in the population
E) various nucleotides transcribed repeatedly, homogeneous

Question 21

Alleles that differ by as little as a single nucleotide can be distinguished by synthetic probes known as _.

Question 22

To generate glyphosate resistance in crop plants, a fusion gene was created that introduced a viral promoter to control the EPSP synthetase gene.

Question 23

A restriction fragment is generated by the action of a restriction enzyme (endonuclease).

Question 24

The Human Genome Project seeks to rid the human population of genetic disease.

Question 25

Rational drug design involves the synthesis of specific chemical substances that affect specific gene products.

Question 26

One of the current strategies for the treatment of Ebola patients is the generation of monoclonal antibodies against the virus developed through transgenic tobacco plants.

Question 27

Glyphosate (a herbicide) inhibits EPSP, a chloroplast enzyme involved in the synthesis of several amino acids.

Question 28

Gene therapy will probably be used predominantly for correcting germ -line mutations because fewer ethical issues are associated with that than with somatic cell gene therapy.

Question 29

Genes in their natural state cannot be patented. This policy allows research and use of natural products for the common good. What argument might be presented in favor of patenting genes or gene products?

Question 30

Amniocentesis is preferred over chorionic villus sampling because recombinant DNA screening can be achieved with amniocentesis but not with chorionic villus sampling.

Question 31

Biotechnology provides the technical underpinnings for rational approaches to drug design by facilitating an understanding of the molecular causes of human disease.

Question 32

Drosophila is a unique candidate for genetic engineering because it is the one prokaryote about which we have a great deal of genetic information.

Question 33

New methods of delivering vaccines are likely to be developed so that traditional injection will be less frequent.

Question 34

How are gene therapy and recombinant DNA technology related?

Question 35

An unapproved form of gene therapy, known as enhancement gene therapy, can create considerable ethical dilemmas. Why?

Question 36

What is RNAi?

Question 37

The first attempts at gene therapy began in 1990 with the treatment of a young girl
with a genetic disorder abbreviated SCID. What does SCID stand for? In the context of SCID, what does ADA stand for?