Basic tools and techniques

Question 1

What are the 4 main developmental processes?

Answer 1

1. Pattern formation
2. Morphogenesis
3. Cell differentiation
4. Growth

Question 2

What is the phylotopic stage?

Answer 2

A stage in development where vertebrate embryos look very similiar
Where the head, neural tube, somites and notochord have all formed.

Question 3

Difference between the funnel and hourglass model?

Answer 3

The funnel model states that the germ band period is at the beginning of embryogenesis. Whereas the hourglass model states that the germ band period occurs near the middle of development

Question 4

What are 5 techniques to see when and where a gene is expressed

Answer 4

In-situ hybridisation
Northern blot
DNA microarray
RT-PCR
Reporter genes

Question 5

What are 3 ways of labelling a probe,? And how do you detect them?

Answer 5

Radioactively- detect using autoradiography
Fluorescent tag- observed using fluorescence microscopy
Enzyme tag- observed by the enzymes conversion of a colourless substrate into a coloured product

Question 6

What are 2 ways of detecting proteins?

Answer 6

Western blot

Immunohistochemistry

Question 7

What is the difference between morpholino antisense RNAs and RNA interference?

Answer 7

RNAi- rna molecules inhibit the translation of mRNA e.g RISC complex- siRNA guide the RISC complex to the target mRNA-> degraded by RISC nuclease
MO- complementary RNA strands bind and hybridise to target mRNA- prevent its translation

Question 8

What is forward genetics?

Answer 8

When you try to identify a gene whose mutation caused a particular phenotype

Question 9

What is reverse genetics?

Answer 9

When you try to seek the phenotype of a particular mutated gene

Question 10

What is transplanted into the chick-quail chimera?

Answer 10

The quails neural tube and neural crest cells are transplanted and stained
The migration of the NCCs can be visualised