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Allyson Clarke - Biol 1700 - Assignment 1
Allyson Clarke - Biol 1700 - Assignment 1
Allyson Clarke - Biol 1700 - Assignment 1
ASSIGNMENT 1
Biology I, Pre-Health Sciences - Durham College, Fall 2020
/50 marks
EVALUATION NOTES
Rationale: In this section you are required to answer content specific questions. These questions are
very similar in structure and style to Test 1 questions and will therefore be excellent study practice.
Instructions:
Answer in the spaces provided
Read the questions carefully and thoroughly
Consider the point value of each question as a guide for how much detail you should include
Remember to write all answers IN YOUR OWN WORDS
For short answer questions, answer in full sentences
2. (1 mark) Define homeostasis IN YOUR OWN WORDS. List at least 2 descriptive points.
Point 1: Homeostasis is your body’s ability to maintain a balance so you can stay
healthy and function properly. All organs in your body work together to achieve
homeostasis.
UNIT 3: Cells
A. Plasma membrane
B. Nucleus
C. Nucleolus
D. Ribosome
E. Rough endoplasmic reticulum
F. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
G. Golgi apparatus
H. Lysosome
I. Cilia
J. Flagella
K. Mitochondria
L. Centriole/centrosome
6. (1 mark) Consider the statements below regarding protein production. Put the following in
chronological order by assigning each statement a number from 1-5.
9. (1.5 marks) Answer the questions in the chart regarding the 3 stages of cellular respiration.
Stage Question
Glycolysis Fill-in-the-blank: By the end of glycolysis, glucose has
been broken down into pyruvate.
Citric acid cycle / Krebs cycle How many ATP are produced during this stage?
2 (two).
Electron transport chain Where does this process take place? Be as specific as
possible. Into the inner membrane of the mitochondrion.
10. (1.5 marks) The daughter cells at the end of mitosis are different than the daughter cells at the end
of meiosis. List THREE ways in which they are different using the chart below.
Differences
Meiosis Mitosis
12. (2 marks) Describe what a human female karyotype would look like for a person with Edwards
Syndrome. Include at least FOUR points in your description. [Hint: If you’ve never heard of
Edwards syndrome, just do quick Google search to see how the chromosomes are affected.]
- 2 “X” chromosomes
- No “Y” chromosomes
- An extra copy of chromosome 18
- The embryo/child would have 47 chromosomes total instead of 46
13. (1 mark) During which stage of the cell cycle are proteins made for cell division? Be as
specific as possible. Gap 2 (G2).
14. (2 marks) Compare and contrast the structure of DNA and RNA. List ONE similarity and
THREE differences.
Differences
DNA RNA
Similarities
Scenario: Hiba is a student in the Pre-Health Sciences program at Durham College. She is enjoying
being back in the classroom after several years of working as a personal support worker in the Durham
region. While the demands of school are intense, Hiba knows that her hard work and dedication will
pay off as she pursues a career in nursing.
Several weeks into the term, Hiba notices that her 7-month-old daughter, Douaa – a baby with a
contagious smile and a voracious appetite for banana and sweet potato – appears out of sorts and seems
to have painful polyps in her nose accompanied by a small wheezing sound when she breathes. Hiba
also realizes that Douaa appears smaller than other children her age and doesn’t appear to have put on
much weight over the last month or two. Worried, she brings Douaa to her local emergency room at
Lakeridge Health.
In the emergency room a friendly doctor named Dr. Raghavan is able to see them. After her initial
assessment, Dr. Raghavan tells Hiba that the polyps and lack of growth rate could indicate something
more serious. She would like to draw some blood and run a few more tests including a chest X-ray
and a sweat test. During her analysis of the test results, Dr. Raghavan notes 2 key observations in her
charts, as follows:
16. (1 mark) What body cavity are the lungs a part of?
Circle or highlight ALL that apply.
a. Ventral
b. Vertebral
c. Abdominal
d. Pelvic
e. Dorsal
f. Thoracic
g. Cranial
Scenario: Dr. Raghavan comes back several hours later with the results – the tests suggest that Douaa
has a genetic mutation in her DNA causing a disruption in a transport protein within the plasma
membrane called CFTR. CFTR functions to remove chloride ions from cells and without it, sticky
mucus can build up in places like the lungs. She carefully reveals that Douaa is suffering from a
disease called cystic fibrosis and that she needs to be admitted to begin immediate treatment.
Hiba’s mind immediately begins racing with questions. What causes cystic fibrosis? How is it
treated? How does a DNA mutation impact membrane transport? What does this mean for her
daughter’s future? She takes a deep breath, fights back tears, and gives Douaa a big hug. She then
calls her parents, arranges a babysitter for her other kids, and works to get Douaa admitted and settled
in her room. As Douaa falls asleep and the hospital staff change over to the night shift, Hiba rolls up
her sleeves, settles into a hospital chair, and begins to search for more answers on her phone.
17. (1 mark) Hiba begins with a quick Google search of “cystic fibrosis mutation.” First, she noticed
that the CFTR gene was actually discovered in 1989 by a team of researchers at The Hospital for
Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. A scientist named Lap-Chee Tsui was able to map the gene to
Chromosome 7. Second, she discovered that the gene can be mutated in many ways, including
the DNA sequence listed below. Based on your knowledge of mutations, circle or highlight the
specific DNA mutation(s) that could cause cystic fibrosis:
Healthy: ATC ATC TTT
Cystic fibrosis: ATC ATT GGT
Checklist:
DNA is double stranded and 9 nucleotides long
Each nucleotide shows a properly arranged sugar, phosphate and nitrogenous base
Complementary base pairing is present, including the correct number of hydrogen bonds
Labels are included: nucleotide, sugar, phosphate, nitrogenous base, hydrogen bonds, DNA
backbone
The diagram is accompanied by a brief written description
Scenario: Next, Hiba starts to think more about how DNA mutations lead to problems with proteins.
For example, she doesn’t understand how a small change in her daughter’s DNA could lead to a problem
with the CFTR protein. To help Hiba navigate this question, answer the questions below:
19. (1 mark) Multiple choice: Within a cell, the CFTR gene is copied into mRNA through the
process of transcription. Based on the DNA sequence given in Question 18, what is the mRNA
sequence for CFTR in a person suffering from cystic fibrosis?
a. TAG TAA CCA
b. ATC ATT GGT
c. UTC UTT GGT
d. AUC AUU GGU
e. ATC ATT UUT
20. (1 mark) Multiple choice: What organelle does the transcription of CFTR takes place in?
a. Nucleus
b. Ribosome
c. Nuclear membrane
d. Endoplasmic reticulum
e. Cytoplasm
21. (1 mark) Multiple choice: What happens immediately after the CFTR mRNA molecule is
transcribed?
a. It stays in the nucleus
b. It goes to the nucleolus to get translated
c. It goes to the ribosome
d. It undergoes endocytosis
e. It gets converted to rRNA
22. (1 mark) Multiple choice: When _________ occurs, the CFTR mRNA is used as a template to
make CFTR protein.
a. Translation
b. Replication
c. Sequencing
d. Transcription
e. Diffusion
23. (1 mark) Multiple choice: During translation, codon sequences within an mRNA molecule are
read 3 nucleotides at a time. The sequence of a codon determines what ________ will be added
to the growing protein strand.
a. Anticodon
b. Amino acid
Scenario: Hiba feels the pieces connecting now. She realizes that if you change a DNA sequence (like
the case with her daughter’s mutation in the CFTR gene), the resulting mRNA also gets changed during
transcription. This then causes the ribosome to add the wrong amino acid during translation, leading to
an improperly built CFTR protein. Hiba pauses and wipes her brow. While it is starting to make more
sense, she still doesn’t get why changing amino acids in the CFTR protein dramatically alters its
function. To help her understand this, answer the following questions:
24. (4 marks) Describe the structure of the CFTR protein by filling in the chart below:
- Primary
Amino acids Polypeptides No
- Secondary
- Tertiary
- Quaternary
25. (2 marks) Using the information from the chart as a guide, explain in detail how a change to an
amino acid within CFTR protein (like in Douaa’s case) could affect its ability to transport ions
across the plasma membrane. Be sure to include appropriate terminology.
If an unfolding happens to the CFTR protein, then it cannot function. If the CTFR protein
cannot function then it cannot transport ions across the plasma membrane.
Scenario: The next day, Dr. Raghavan meets them in their hospital room along with a paediatric
respirologist, Dr. Zlochower, who specializes in cystic fibrosis. They explain that cystic fibrosis is not a
curable disease but that a range of treatments can help to control the symptoms, reduce complications
Scenario: After they leave, Hiba glances over at Douaa who is sleeping soundly. Hiba admits to herself
that she should probably try to sleep at least a little in order to be as fresh as possible for Douaa’s
treatment. Hiba grabs a lumpy pillow and an extra blanket and curls up beside Douaa in the small bed.
She is just about to drift off when a terrible thought occurs to her – what if SHE gave Douaa cystic
fibrosis? After all, it WAS a genetic illness. Could she have somehow passed on a gene to Douaa that
causes her to be sick? She sits back up and goes back to the chair with her biology notes on inheritance.
She grabs a pencil and cautiously begins sketching out a Punnett square – she knows she won’t be able
to fall asleep until she figures it out.
27. The trait for cystic fibrosis is recessive (f) and the trait for healthy is dominant (F). Assuming
cystic fibrosis follows a simple Mendelian pattern of inheritance, answer the following:
a. (2 marks) What would Douaa’s genotype and phenotype be?
Genotype of Douaa = ff
Phenotype of Douaa = cystic fibrosis
b. (2 marks) If Hiba and Douaa’s father are healthy, what must both their genotypes be?
Genotype of Hiba = Ff
Genotype of Douaa’s father = Ff
c. (2 marks) Complete a Punnett square showing a cross between Hiba and Douaa’s father.
F f
F Ff Ff
f Ff ff
d. (1 mark) What were the chances that Douaa was born with cystic fibrosis? List your
answer as a percent or a fraction. 25% Or 1/4
e. (1 mark) If Hiba and Douaa’s father were to have another child, what are the chances
that their child would be healthy? List your answer as a percent or a fraction. 75% Or
¾.
f. (1 mark) Given the genetics above, are Hiba’s concerns warranted? Should she feel
guilty? Discuss in your own words.
I think that Hiba’s concerns are warranted knowing that cystic fibrosis is a genetic
disease. I think it is natural to be concerned about conditions you could potentially pass to
your children. I understand her feelings of guilt; However I do not believe she SHOULD
feel guilty. She was unaware the gene existed and did not do anything to purposely harm
her child.
Epilogue: Douaa stayed in the hospital for many weeks as she received treatment and was monitored
closely by doctors. Hiba eventually got to bring her home – her mind filled with new knowledge about
how to care for Douaa and a backpack filled with new prescriptions and gear that would help Douaa to
breathe better. It would be a long and hard road – one filled with nebulizer masks, physical therapy,
and vibrating vests – but she also felt proud of how she had educated herself about cystic fibrosis and
would therefore be able to be a better advocate for Douaa in her years ahead.
28. (1 mark) Describe TWO ways in which case study questions like these can help build your skills
and better prepare you for your future career.
- Critical Thinking- being able to think on your own and know that you have the understanding needed
to evaluate, problem solve, and make decisions!
-Applying Theory- Case studies are a great way to link theory/knowledge to practice. It is a way that
professors can help prepare students for future (real-life) scenarios!