Evolutionary Development

Question 1

What is the genetic similarity between a sheep and a human?

Answer 1

80%

Question 2

What is the genetic similarity between a chicken and a human?

Answer 2

60%

Question 3

What is the genetic similarity between a mouse and a human?

Answer 3

75%

Question 4

List model organisms useful for developmental biology.

Answer 4

Mouse, chicken, frog, drosophila, zebrafish, worm

Question 5

List the model organisms useful for fundamental molecular biology

Answer 5

Bacteria, yeast

Question 6

What are the advantages of C elegans?

Answer 6

Small- 1mm
Easy to cultivate
Short development- 3 days

Question 7

What percentage of human genes implicated in disease have C elegans orthologues?

Answer 7

40%

Question 8

How many somatic cells does a round worm have?

Answer 8

959

Question 9

Which model organism has had its every single cell mapped?

Answer 9

Round worm

Question 10

How many neurons and synapses does a round worm have?

Answer 10

302, 8000

Question 11

What major discoveries were made using the round worm?

Answer 11

Certain cells must undergo apoptosis, regulation of organ development
RNA interference
Development of green fluorescent proteins

Question 12

What major discoveries were made using drosophila?

Answer 12

Genes are located on chromosomes
Chromosome inheritance specifies gender
Exchange of genetic material
Exposure to X-rays can cause mutations

Question 13

What are the advantages of Drosophila?

Answer 13

Inexpensive
Proliferative breeding rate
Breeding age- 10 days
4 chromosomes
75% of human genes have orthologues in Drosophila 
Large amount of previous research

Question 14

What studies have Drosophila been widely used for?

Answer 14

Genetics, body patterning, stem cell biology, reproductive biology

Question 15

What percentage of human genes have a counter part and orthologues in zebrafish?

Answer 15

75% and 84%

Question 16

What are advantages of zebrafish?

Answer 16

Transparent embryo outside the mother, rapid growth (36 hours for major organs), can add substances by adding them to water

Question 17

What is studied in zebrafish?

Answer 17

Regeneration, neuronal activity, patterning, cardiac development, muscle development, cancer, sleep.

Question 18

What are disadvantages of drosophila?

Answer 18

Not blood vessels, invertebrates, no antibodies

Question 19

What are advantages of frogs?

Answer 19

Cellular and molecular mechanisms conserved, vertebrate, many large oocytes

Question 20

What major discoveries have been made using the frog?

Answer 20

Adult nucleus can be reprogrammed by its environment to act as an embryonic cell

Question 21

What is studied using the frog?

Answer 21

Ovarian biology, neurobiology, eye, heart development, cancer, immunology.

Question 22

What was a major discovery made using chicken?

Answer 22

Embryos change morphology during development.

Question 23

What are the advantages of chicken?

Answer 23

External development, can open up eggs at different stages, early stages highly similar to humans

Question 24

What is studied using chicken?

Answer 24

Early embryonic development, body patterning, reproductive biology.

Question 25

Disruption in what signalling molecules leads to polydactyly?

Answer 25

Sonic hedgehog