MCAT Biology › Transcription
Which of the following experimental methods cannot be used to measure the relative abundance of a particular mRNA?
Which of the following is not true about RNA?
Human chromosomes are divided into two arms, a long q arm and a short p arm. A karyotype is the organization of a human cell’s total genetic complement. A typical karyotype is generated by ordering chromosome 1 to chromosome 23 in order of decreasing size.
When viewing a karyotype, it can often become apparent that changes in chromosome number, arrangement, or structure are present. Among the most common genetic changes are Robertsonian translocations, involving transposition of chromosomal material between long arms of certain chromosomes to form one derivative chromosome. Chromosomes 14 and 21, for example, often undergo a Robertsonian translocation, as below.
A karyotype of this individual for chromosomes 14 and 21 would thus appear as follows:
Though an individual with aberrations such as a Robertsonian translocation may be phenotypically normal, they can generate gametes through meiosis that have atypical organizations of chromosomes, resulting in recurrent fetal abnormalities or miscarriages.
In chromosome 21, parts of the DNA are converted to protein, while other parts are interspersed, but do not correlate to the final protein sequence. The portions of the DNA that code for final amino acid sequence are called __________.
Prokaryotic mRNA usually includes several genes on the same transcript. An operon is a genetic unit which typically consists of a promoter, an operator, and all of the functional genes that will be coded for by a single mRNA. In biology, the lac operon is the most commonly used example. The lac operon is transcribed when a prokaryote has a glucose deficiency, and requires lactose in order to create glucose.
The lac operon is modulated by specific proteins which can regulate the amount of transcription. A lac repressor will attach to the operator and reduce transcription if it is not necessary at a given time. The lac repressor will be removed in the presence of lactose by becoming attached to a lactose molecule. Meanwhile, catabolite activator protein (CAP) will attach upstream to the promoter and signal RNA polymerase to begin transcription if transcription is needed.
How would you describe the levels of lac operon transcription when a prokaryote has high glucose and lactose levels available?
Three isoforms of a particular protein (variants A, B, and C) are expressed. In the following diagram, exons are indicating by boxes, introns by the black lines, and splice junctions by blue lines. Assume each exon is greater than 500 bp in length (figure not drawn to scale).
In the absence of available antibodies for Western blotting, how would one experimentally determine if variant C was expressed in HeLa cells?
Prokaryotic mRNA usually includes several genes on the same transcript. An operon is a genetic unit which typically consists of a promoter, an operator, and all of the functional genes that will be coded for by a single mRNA. In biology, the lac operon is the most commonly used example. The lac operon is transcribed when a prokaryote has a glucose deficiency, and requires lactose in order to create glucose.
The lac operon is modulated by specific proteins which can regulate the amount of transcription. A lac repressor will attach to the operator and reduce transcription if it is not necessary at a given time. The lac repressor will be removed in the presence of lactose by becoming attached to a lactose molecule. Meanwhile, catabolite activator protein (CAP) will attach upstream to the promoter and signal RNA polymerase to begin transcription if transcription is needed.
In a low glucose, high lactose environment, which of the following statements is false?
In 2013, scientists linked a cellular response called the unfolded protein response (UPR) to a series of neurodegenerative diseases, including such major health issues as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease. According to their work, the unfolded protein response is a reduction in translation as a result of a series of enzymes that modify a translation initiation factor, eIF2, as below:
In the above sequence, the unfolded protein sensor binds to unfolded protein, such as the pathogenic amyloid-beta found in the brains of Alzheimer’s Disease patients. This sensor then phosphorylates PERK, or protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase. This leads to downstream effects on eIF2, inhibition of which represses translation. It is thought that symptoms of neurodegenerative disease may be a result of this reduced translation.
In contrast to translation, transcription __________.
Prokaryotic mRNA usually includes several genes on the same transcript. An operon is a genetic unit which typically consists of a promoter, an operator, and all of the functional genes that will be coded for by a single mRNA. In biology, the lac operon is the most commonly used example. The lac operon is transcribed when a prokaryote has a glucose deficiency, and requires lactose in order to create glucose.
The lac operon is modulated by specific proteins which can regulate the amount of transcription. A lac repressor will attach to the operator and reduce transcription if it is not necessary at a given time. The lac repressor will be removed in the presence of lactose by becoming attached to a lactose molecule. Meanwhile, catabolite activator protein (CAP) will attach upstream to the promoter and signal RNA polymerase to begin transcription if transcription is needed.
Imagine that there is a mutation on the lac repressor which makes it unable for lactose to attach. What would you expect to happen?
Although there are about 30,000 genes in the human body, approximately 120,000 proteins can be created in the body. This is caused by __________.
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding transcription in eukaryotic cells?