Imagine that a scientist introduced a copy of the human Pax6 gene into a mouse. What would likely happen in this scenario?
A)The mouse will go on to form an eye in an abnormal location reminiscent in size and shape to that of a human, given that the mouse now carries a copy of human Pax6.
B)No eyes will form in abnormal locations, as Pax6 is not conserved between higher vertebrates such as mice and humans. It is only conserved between invertebrates and rare mammals.
C)The mouse may go on to form an eye in an abnormal location that resembles a mouse eye in shape and structure, given that the genes acting downstream of Pax6 are still "mouse" genes.
D)The mouse will go on to form a compound eye in an abnormal location, given that it now carries a copy of human Pax6.
E)The mouse will go on to develop aniridia, as the action of human Pax6 will interfere with the normal transcription of mouse Pax6.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pax6 is a highly conserved gene across vertebrates and is involved in eye development. However, introducing the human Pax6 gene into a mouse does not necessarily mean that the mouse will form an eye in an abnormal location or develop aniridia. This is because other downstream genes that are specific to mice will still be in place and likely act in typical mouse eye development. Therefore, the mouse may go on to form an eye in an abnormal location that resembles a mouse eye in shape and structure.

Imagine That a Scientist Introduced a Copy of the Human