Homework Questions

Question 1

Which of the following statements about antisense RNA is true?
A. Antisense RNA binds to form double-stranded regions on RNA to either block translation or intron splicing.
B. Antisense RNA is transcribed using the sense strand of DNA as a template.
C. The sequence of antisense RNA is complementary to mRNA.
D. Antisense RNA is made naturally in cells and also artificially in the laboratory.
E. All of the above statements about antisense RNA are true.

Answer 1

E. All of the above statements about antisense RNA are true.

Question 2

Which of the following terms describes when gene regulation occurs by short dsRNA molecules
triggering an enzymatic reaction that degrades the mRNA of a target gene?
A. post-transcriptional gene silencing
B. quelling
C. co-suppression
D. RNA interference
E. all of the above

Answer 2

E. all of the above

Question 3

How can RNAi be triggered in mammalian cells?
A. transfection of siRNA
B. chemically synthesized siRNA
C. degradation of target mRNA through shRNA creation
D. modification of an existing shRNA to recognize a different mRNA
E. all of the above

Answer 3

E. all of the above

Question 4

To construct an antisense gene:
A. The gene is cloned such that the sense (aka coding, nontemplate) strand of the gene is
transcribed.
B. The gene is cloned such that the antisense (aka noncoding, template) strand of the gene is
transcribed.
C. A terminator is placed on both sides of the gene.
D. The stop codon of the gene is removed.

Answer 4

A. The gene is cloned such that the sense (aka coding, nontemplate) strand of the gene is
transcribed.

Question 5

A liposome antisense RNA delivery system is:
A. made of bilayers of phospholipids and cholesterol.
B. taken up by endocytosis
C. attached to peptides.
D. All of the above are true. (“can be” attached
E. A and B are true.

Answer 5

E. A and B are true.

Question 6

The enzyme responsible for the production of siRNAs from dsRNA
A. Dicer
B. RISC
C. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
D. streptolysin

Answer 6

A. Dicer

Question 7

6. These RNA molecules are transcribed from an endogenous gene in the organism as longer
   precursor molecules before they are processed into small segments to trigger RNAi.
   A. shRNA
   B. siRNA
   C. dsRNA
   D. microRNA

Answer 7

C. dsRNA

Question 8

Piwi-interacting RNAs function in .
A. defense against foreign RNA
B. X chromosome inactivation
C. transposon silencing in germ cell lines
D. gene regulation
E. RNA editing

Answer 8

C. transposon silencing in germ cell lines

Question 9

CRISPR is
A. What you say at Popeyes or Bojangles when asked about your chicken order.
B. An acronym for ‘clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeat’.
C. The coupon code for your special BMME 485 student discount for your 23 and Me analysis.
D. None of the above.
E. All of the abov

Answer 9

D. None of the above.

Question 10

What causes cancer?
A. somatic mutations that disrupt normal cell division and death
B. germline mutations that result in cell death
C. somatic mutations that cause cells to die prematurely
D. germline mutations that disrupt normal cell division and death
E. none of the above

Answer 10

A. somatic mutations that disrupt normal cell division and death

Question 11

Which of the following is the main regulator for cellular reprograming to produce iPSCs?
A. OCT4
B. SOX2
C. NANOG
D. c-MYC
E. LIN28

Answer 11

A. OCT4

Question 12

All of the following are totipotent except .
A. stem cells
B. mammary gland cells
C. cells of the blastula
D. cells of the inner cell mass
E. erythrocytes (red blood cells)

Answer 12

E. erythrocytes (red blood cells)

Question 13

Stem cells that have lost the ability to divide are called ________.
A. totipotent
B. competent
C. undifferentiated
D. differentiated
E. transformed

Answer 13

D. differentiated

Question 14

Spectrosomes .
A. are organelle-like complexes that are associated with mitotic spindle during Drosophila cell
division
B. contain spectrin and ankyrin
C. persist in the first cells after the stem cell divides
D. are markers used to identify stem cells
E. All of the above

Answer 14

E. All of the above

Question 15

When one daughter cell receives a signaling molecule that the other daughter cells does not receive
is called .
A. extrinsic asymmetry
B. intrinsic asymmetry
C. symmetrical renewal
D. symmetrical differentiation
E. differentiation

Answer 15

B. intrinsic asymmetry

Question 16

How are adult stem cells identified?
A. Lineage analysis of a marker within a labeled potential stem cell
B. Identification of organelle-like structures called spectrosomes
C. Genetic mosaic transplantation
D. Identification of signaling transduction molecules specific to stem cells.
E. All of the above

Answer 16

E. All of the above

Question 17

Which of the following cells produces antimicrobial peptides and regulates the type of bacteria
found in the intestine?
A. Enterocytes
B. Paneth cells
C. Enteroendocrine cells
D. Goblet cells
E. Vascular cells

Answer 17

B. Paneth cells

Question 18

CAR-T strands for
A. A singer
B. Cancer associated receptor therapy
C. Cancer associated receptor T-cell
D. Chimeric antigen receptor therapy
E. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell

Answer 18

E. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell

Question 19

Which of the following is the most widely used stem cell for stem cell therapy?
A. HSC
B. ISC
C. iPSC
D. ESC

Answer 19

A. HSC

Question 20

Name at least 3 different CAR constructs that are improvements from the original CAR T cell
construct (From Valenzuela’s lecture):

Answer 20

Dual CAR
Tandem CAR
Looped Tandem CAR

Question 21

Which of the following are part of the human immune system (select all that apply)? (From
Valenzuela’s lecture)
A. Physical barriers (skin, hair, mucus)
B. Electrostatic repulsion
C. Chemical/cellular defenses
D. Adaptive immunity
E. Innate (natural) immunity
F. Hot steam

Answer 21

A. Physical barriers (skin, hair, mucus)
C. Chemical/cellular defenses
D. Adaptive immunity
E. Innate (natural) immunity

Question 22

What process is used to create transgenic mice?
A. Particle bombardment
B. Nuclear microdissection
C. Nuclear fusion
D. Germ line transformation
E. None of the above

Answer 22

E. None of the above

Question 23

According to the book, which protein is produced by transgenic goats?
A. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator
B. Recombinant tissue fibrinogen activator
C. Recombinant bovine somatotropin
D. Recombinant human somatotropin
E. None of the above

Answer 23

A. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator

Question 24

Why are embryonic stem cells important?
A. They can be passed from one generation to the next.
B. These cells carry retroviral genes.
C. They can develop into any tissue in the body, including the germ line.
D. The cells are differentiated and can therefore be manipulated.
E. none of the above

Answer 24

C. They can develop into any tissue in the body, including the germ line.

Question 25

How can location effects of transgenes in animals be avoided?
A. by placing LCR sequences in front of the transgene
B. by inclusion of insulator sequences on both ends of the transgene
C. by using natural transgenes instead of the cDNA version
D. by targeting the transgene to a specific location
E. all of the above

Answer 25

E. all of the above

Question 26

What is used by targeting vectors to insert transgenes at specific locations within the host genome?
A. homologous recombination
B. transfection
C. transduction
D. conjugation
E. All of the above

Answer 26

A. homologous recombination

Question 27

Why are Cre/loxP or Flp/FRT used in transgenic animals?
A. Activation of a transgene by removing blocking sequences flanked by the loxP or FRT sites
B. Large-scale deletions and rearrangements of the chromosomes
C. Removal of selectable markers that are no longer needed
D. Creation of conditional knockout mutants
E. all of the above

Answer 27

E. all of the above

Question 28

Which of the following was derived from bacteria and useful for generating transgenes of modulating
gene expression?
A. Cre recombinase
B. Flp recombinase
C. Flippase
D. phiC31 integrase
E. p element

Answer 28

D. phiC31 integrase

Question 29

Transgenic _____?
A. Chickens can help decrease the spread of H1N1 influenza virus
B. Pigs produce fewer phosphates in their excrement
C. Mosquitos can limit the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
D. Silkworms can produce fluorescent silk
E. Animals are all of the above

Answer 29

E. Animals are all of the above