Deck 14: Molecular Laboratory Techniques

Question 1

Match the technique with an appropriate description (use each answer only once).
Nucleic acid sequence amplification

A)This amplifies target nucleic acid without the use of a thermocycler. A double-stranded DNA fragment is created and becomes the target for exponential amplification.
B)An isothermal assay that targets either DNA or RNA but generates RNA as its amplified product.
C)Oligonucleotide pairs hybridize to target sequences within the gene or the cryptic plasmid.
D)Only RNA is targeted for amplification.

Answer 1

Only RNA is targeted for amplification.

Question 2

The advantages of molecular testing include all the following except

A)faster turnaround time.
B)decreased sensitivity.
C)smaller specimen volume required.
D)increased specificity.

Answer 2

decreased sensitivity.

Question 3

Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) applications include identification of

A)Treponema pallidum (spirochete bacteria).
B)HIV.
C)HCV.
D)Both B and C.

Answer 3

Both B and C.

Question 4

DNA can be amplified by

A)in vitro amplification.
B)cloning.
C)synthesis of proteins.
D)Both A and B.

Question 5

The gold standard of molecular testing is

A)DNA sequencing.
B)FISH.
C)reverse transcriptase.
D)nephelometry.

Question 6

All the following are true in regard to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) except

A)it amplifies low levels of specific DNA sequences.
B)the target sequence to be amplified can be unknown.
C)two short DNA primers are used.
D)oligonucleotides act as a template.

Question 7

Clinical outcomes of PCR can lead to

A)detection of gene mutations that signify the early development of cancer.
B)identification of viral DNA associated with specific cancers.
C)detection of genetic mutations associated with various diseases.
D)All of the above.

Question 8

Amplification of nucleic acid fragments from a different target is performed with

A)PCR.
B)reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR).
C)multiplex PCR.
D)real-time PCR.

Question 9

Match the technique with an appropriate description (use each answer only once).
Ligase chain reaction nucleic acid amplification

A)This amplifies target nucleic acid without the use of a thermocycler. A double-stranded DNA fragment is created and becomes the target for exponential amplification.
B)An isothermal assay that targets either DNA or RNA but generates RNA as its amplified product.
C)Oligonucleotide pairs hybridize to target sequences within the gene or the cryptic plasmid.
D)Only RNA is targeted for amplification.

Question 10

Match the molecular technique with the appropriate microorganism identification.
Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA)

A)Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
B)Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Question 11

Match the technique with an appropriate description (use each answer only once).
Transcription-mediated amplification

A)This amplifies target nucleic acid without the use of a thermocycler. A double-stranded DNA fragment is created and becomes the target for exponential amplification.
B)An isothermal assay that targets either DNA or RNA but generates RNA as its amplified product.
C)Oligonucleotide pairs hybridize to target sequences within the gene or the cryptic plasmid.
D)Only RNA is targeted for amplification.

Question 12

The name of the product of PCR is an

A)amp.
B)amplicon.
C)anneal.
D)extension.

Question 13

Match the technique with an appropriate description (use each answer only once).
Strand displacement amplification

A)This amplifies target nucleic acid without the use of a thermocycler. A double-stranded DNA fragment is created and becomes the target for exponential amplification.
B)An isothermal assay that targets either DNA or RNA but generates RNA as its amplified product.
C)Oligonucleotide pairs hybridize to target sequences within the gene or the cryptic plasmid.
D)Only RNA is targeted for amplification.

Question 14

Match the hybridization technique with the correct description.
Dot blot

A)Hybridization occurs only if the patient's DNA contains base sequences that are 100% complementary to those of the probe.
B)Both the target nucleic acid and labeled probe interact in solution.
C)This detects single-base mutations using allele-specific oligonucleotides (ASOs).

Question 15

Match the molecular technique with the appropriate microorganism identification.
Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA)

A)Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
B)Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Question 16

Match the hybridization technique with the correct description.
Liquid-phase hybridization

A)Hybridization occurs only if the patient's DNA contains base sequences that are 100% complementary to those of the probe.
B)Both the target nucleic acid and labeled probe interact in solution.
C)This detects single-base mutations using allele-specific oligonucleotides (ASOs).

Question 17

The difference between transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) is that

A)only RNA is targeted for amplification in NASBA.
B)NASBA is not useful for HIV.
C)only DNA is tangled for amplification in NASBA.
D)NASBA is the method of choice for the detection of microorganisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Question 18

The clinical application of the analysis of amplification products includes

A)genetic testing.
B)hematopathology diagnosis and monitoring.
C)identification of infectious agents.
D)All of the above.

Question 19

Real-time PCR

A)is less susceptible to amplicon contamination.
B)is less accurate in quantifying the initial copy number.
C)does not require a thermocycler.
D)quantifies specific RNA sequences.

Question 20

The final number of molecules produced in 30 cycles of the PCR process is

A)2².
B)2¹⁰.
C)2²⁰.
D)2³⁰.

Question 21

Match the blotting protocol with the clinical application.
Northern blot

A)RNA
B)DNA
C)Use of labeled antibodies specific for the protein of interest

Question 22

Multiplex PCR is limited by primer-primer interference.

Question 23

Match the blotting protocol with the clinical application.
Southern blot

A)RNA
B)DNA
C)Use of labeled antibodies specific for the protein of interest

Question 24

Multiplex PCR is limited by the number of primers that can be included in a single reaction.

Question 25

Match the blotting protocol with the clinical application.
Western blot

A)RNA
B)DNA
C)Use of labeled antibodies specific for the protein of interest

Question 26

The PCR technique can be modified to study ribonucleic acid (RNA) as well as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Question 27

Match the hybridization technique with the correct description.
Reverse dot blot

A)Hybridization occurs only if the patient's DNA contains base sequences that are 100% complementary to those of the probe.
B)Both the target nucleic acid and labeled probe interact in solution.
C)This detects single-base mutations using allele-specific oligonucleotides (ASOs).

Question 28

Multiplex PCR is limited by specific nucleic acid amplification.