Study Guide Questions Flashcards
(67 cards)
Define mutagen.
An agent that raises rate of mutation above spontaneous rate.
Define mutation.
Change in DNA
What is the approximate incidence of spontaneous mutation (on a per gene per cell division basis)?
About 1/100,000 per gene per cell
Define and distinguish between point mutations and frameshift mutations.
Point mutations: Substitution of one base pair for another, which can lead to substitution of one amino acid for another.
Frameshift mutations: Insertion or deletion of a base pair, which usually changes several amino acids in protein.
Is sickle cell anemia a point or frameshift mutation?
Point mutation
What protein is defective in sickle cell anemia?
hemoglobin
Individuals heterozygous for the sickle cell allele are more resistant to the disease ___________ than individuals who have 2 copies of the normal allele.
Malaria
Describe the Ames Test. What is it used to detect? Why does it use liver extract?
Mix the chemical you want to test with bacteria and liver enzymes. Monitor bacteria and see how many bacteria get a mutation in a specific gene. The more mutations a chemical causes in bacteria, the more it will cause in us.
What are some effects of the atomic bomb and/or Chernobyl from a genetics/mutation point of view?
Liver extract simulates conditions in the body by providing enzymes that may degrade harmless substances into mutagens
What nuclear disaster occurred in 2011?
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster: Earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown in cores of 3 nuclear reactors.
What is the average radiation exposure per year from naturally occurring sources in the US? What is the average exposure per year from all sources?
US: 3 mSv per year
All sources: 6.2 mSv per year
What is considered to be a “safe” level of radiation exposure in a work environment?
About 4.5 Sv = LD 50/60
max of 50 mSv in any one year
How many millisieverts of exposure are there in a full body CT scan? For a chest x-ray? Similar statistics – see notes
CT scan: 10 mSv
Chest x-ray: 0.10 mSv
Dental x-ray: 0.005
Mammogram: 0.42
What does LD50/60 stand for? And what is the radiation exposure level for the LD50/60 in humans?
The dose at which 50% of people will die in 60 days.
________% of pregnancies spontaneously miscarry
15%
Define and distinguish between the following: Hereditary Defect, Congenital Defect, Phenocopy
Hereditary Defect: transmissible from cell to cell (or parent to child)
Congenital Defect: present at birth (due to genes, environment or both)
Phenocopy: condition resulting from environmental factors that mimics a genetic condition (ex. vitamin D induced rickets)
Define and distinguish between the following: Carcinogen, Mutagen, Teratogen
All are the physical or chemical agent that causes:
Carcinogen: cancer (ex. radiation, tobacco, some chemicals)
Mutagen: change in DNA (mutation) (ex. x-rays, UV light)
Teratogen: birth defects (congenital malformation).
Alcohol acts as a (pick one: carcinogen, mutagen, teratogen) during prenatal development.
teratogen: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
What problems can develop in the child when the mother uses alcohol or thalidomide or DES or accutane during pregnancy?
Alcohol: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome causes distinctive facial characteristics, poor memory, attention problems, mental retardation.
Thalidomide: Causes limb deformitis esp. shortened flipperlike arms and legs.
DES: Increases incidence of adenocarcinoma of cervix and vagina and increased risk of breast cancer in daughters or testicular cancer in sons.
What type of alteration occurs to the chromosomes in each of the following types of aberrations? Deletions, Duplications, Inversions, Translocations
Deletion: missing part of chromosome
Duplication: extra copy of part of chromosome
Inversion: part of chromosome removed, turned around and put in backwards
Translocation: 2 chromosomes that are not homologous exchange part of their arms
Which of the following (duplication, deletion, inversion, reciprocal translocation, Robertsonian translocation) is responsible for each disorder below? o Familial Down Syndrome o Burkitt’s Lymphoma o Cri du chat o William Syndrome
Familial Down Syndrome: Robertsonian Translocation between chromosomes 21 and 14
Burkitt’s Lymphoma: Reciprocal translocation
Cri du chat: Deletion (part of chr. 5)
William Syndrome: Deletion (missing 26 genes on chr. 7)
What is the chromosomal basis of each of the following disorders? Down Syndrome, Patau Syndrome, Edward Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome
Down Syndrome: 3 copies of chromosome #21
Patau Syndrome: 3 copies of chromosome #13
Edward Syndrome: 3 copies of chromosome #18
Turner Syndrome: abnormal # of sex chromosomes (X0)
Klinefelter Syndrome: abnormal # of sex chromosomes
Approximately 1 in _____ live births has a chromosome disorder
150
Approximately ____% of miscarried fetuses have a chromosome disorder
50%