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Test 2 Winter 2020, answers

Biology (McMaster University)

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers

PART A: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (worth 30 marks)

Please answer Questions 1 to 30 on the OMR Scan Sheet in HB pencil, NOT pen.
Select the option which best answers the question. There is no penalty for guessing.
Each question is worth 1 mark.

DR. KAJIURA’S MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. Which of the following occurs during the transition from proinsulin to the formation of insulin?
A. The removal of the A chain and the formation of 2 disulphide bonds
B. The formation of 3 disulphide bridges and the removal of the signal sequence.
C. The removal of preproinsulin and the formation of 6 disulphide bonds
D. The removal of the C chain
E. Both A and C.

2. In eukaryotes, which of the following events may take place during the process of translation?
A. Pairing occurs between codons in messenger RNA and anticodons in transfer RNA
B. Ribosomes that are located in the cytoplasm may interact with messenger RNA
C. The poly-uracil tail and 5’ cytosine cap are added to the transfer RNA
D. Both A & B
E. Both B & C

3. Recall during Biology 1A03 Theme 2 Modules 3 & 4 lectures that we discussed the important
experiments which related to the metabolic pathway of the synthesis of arginine. According to the
results of these experiments, an arg1 mutant would grow in the presence of medium which has been
supplemented with which of the following?
A. Ornithine
B. Citrulline
C. Arginine
D. All of the above
E. Both B & C only

4. Why is the translated resinous protein, named byssus, of great significance to humans for further
applications?
A. Surgeons may be able to use bysuss as a strong adhesive to perform surgeries on babies.
B. Construction workers may be able to use bysuss as a waterproof adhesive for repairing leaks in
cargo shipping vessels
C. Researchers may be able to easily fix broken organelles with this adhesive.
D. Both A & B
E. Both A & C

5. What is minimal medium?

A. It is combined with molecule which are needed for the growth of wild type individuals.
B. It is a support medium.
C. It is a type of high energy supplement that is supplied to the aquatic habitat of Mytilus mussels.
D. It is a medium on which all arg2 mutants can live alone without any supplements.
E. Both A & B

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers
6. When an individual, such as actress, Eden Atwood, possesses the condition known as androgen
insensitivity syndrome (AIS), which of the following correctly describes the AIS condition from a
cellular and molecular biology perspective?
A. Eden has a mutation which changes the nucleotide sequence of a gene, which results an
increased amount of estrogen being produced in the body.
B. Eden has no functional androgen receptor proteins, so her cells are not able to respond to
testosterone.
C. Eden has two extra Y chromosomes and only one X chromosome.
D. Both A & B
E. Both A & C

7. Suppose that alternative splicing did not exist. Which of the following would you predict to
happen?
A. The genome of yeast cells would be composed of a larger number of genes.
B. There would be no correlation between the complexity of organisms and their respective genome
size.
C. The human genome would produce a fewer number of protein products.
D. There would be many fewer genes dedicated to DNA replication and morphological modification in
humans.
E. Both A & B.

8. Imagine that a high level glucose stimulus is detected by sensor cells of the pancreas, what then
happens?
A. Insulin acts as an effector signal that targets cells of the body to absorb glucose from the
bloodstream.
B. Androgens functions as effector signal which targets cells in the muscles to release glucose.
C. Insulin acts as a transducer that targets cells of the body to destroy glucose in all adipose tissues
(fat)
D. Both A and C
E. Both B and C

9. As discussed during Biology 1A03 Applied lectures, Dr. Ritland’s research helped to reveal which
of the following important discoveries regarding Kermode bears?
A. Kermode bears are a rare albino species that lives on white sandy beaches in British Columbia.
B. Kermode bears have a single nucleotide mutation in the MC1R gene
C. Kermode bears have a single nucleotide mutation in the OCA1 gene for tyrosinase enzyme.
D. Kermode bears possess defective androgen receptors and are sterile.
E. Kermode bears possess pink coloured eyes.

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers
10. Examine the figure shown below, which displays a stage in the process of translation in a
eukaryote. Which of the following options describes what would happen next?

A. A polypeptide bond is formed between the arginine and the methionine transferring the
Arginine to the P site
B. A polypeptide bond is formed between the arginine and the valine, transferring the arginine to
the P site.
C. A polypeptide bond is formed between the arginine and the valine, transferring the polypeptide to
the A site.
D. A polypeptide bond is formed between the arginine and the methionine, transferring the
polypeptide to the A site.
E. Both B and D are correct.

DR. DA SILVA’S MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

11.Which of the following is an example of a housekeeping gene?

A. histone gene
B. lactose permease gene
C. beta-galactosidase gene
D. lactase enzyme gene

12.Which of the following is an example of transcriptional regulation of gene expression?

A. mRNA splicing
B. histone methylation
C. the destruction of mRNA by siRNA
D. the translation of polycistronic mRNA

13. When considering regulation of gene expression,

A. transcriptional regulation is faster than translational regulation.
B. translational regulation is the slowest mechanism of regulation.
C. translational regulation is less efficient than transcriptional regulation.
D. post-translational regulation is faster than transcriptional regulation.

14. Enhancers are

A. distant sites where activator proteins bind.
B. able to interact directly with RNA polymerase.
C. proteins that bind with repressors, deactivating them.
D. a bacterial form of promoters.

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers

15. Two potential methods that eukaryotic cells use to regulate gene expression are
A. DNA acetylation and methylation.
B. DNA methylation and histone amplification.
C. DNA amplification and histone methylation.
D. DNA methylation and histone modification.

16. Which of the following elements, when non-functional would lead to a reduction in the total amount of
functional lacZ produced by a bacterial cell?
A. The repressor protein.
B. The lac I gene.
C. The lac Y gene.
D. The CRP-cAMP binding site.

17. Using the image below of the lac operon, what is the role of the CRP-cAMP binding site?
A. It is the area where RNA polymerase will begin transcription.
B. It promotes the expression of the lac operon when glucose levels are low.
C. It is involved in the negative regulation of the lac operon.
D. It binds the lac I repressor protein.

18. Given the image below, showing the growth of E. coli in an environment containing both glucose and
lactose, what is happening at time point B?

A. Bacteria are starting to die off.

B. Bacteria are starting to metabolize glucose.
C. Bacteria will start to increase expression of the lac operon.
D. Bacteria are metabolizing lactose at high rates.

19. Lactose is involved in ________________ of the lac operon by __________________.

A. negative regulation; increasing expression.

B. positive regulation; preventing transcription.
C. negative regulation; preventing transcription.
D. positive regulation; increasing transcription.

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers

20. As a response to extracellular glucose levels, _______________________.

A. high glucose levels will activate the adenylyl cyclase enzyme in bacteria, producing cAMP.
B. low glucose levels will inactivate the adenylyl cyclase enzyme in bacteria.
C. low glucose levels will lead to the production of low levels of cAMP in bacteria.
D. low glucose levels will lead to the greatest activation of the CRP-cAMP complex in bacteria.

21. The lactose operon is likely to be transcribed when

A. the cyclic AMP and lactose levels are both high within the cell.
B. the cAMP level is high and the lactose level is low.
C. there is more glucose in the cell than lactose.
D. the cyclic AMP levels are low.

22. Which of the following statements is true regarding individuals with lactase persistence after weaning?
A. These individuals have a reduced ability to digest lactose after weaning.
B. A mutation in a neighbouring regulatory gene keeps the lactase gene permanently on.
C. These individuals transport the disaccharide lactose across the membranes of the absorptive microvilli of
the small intestine.
D. Lactose metabolism continues to decrease in the intestines of these individuals as they age.

23. Human fetal hemoglobin has a high oxygen binding affinity because:
A. alpha-globin gene expression is always off.
B. gamma-globin gene expression is off and alpha-globin gene expression is on.
C. gamma-globin gene expression is on and beta-globin gene expression is off.
D. beta-globin gene expression is on and gamma-globin gene expression is off.

24. The tagging of ubiquitin on the human lactase enzyme

A. is an example of post-translational regulation of the lactase enzyme gene expression.
B. enables both the lactase and the labeling ubiquitin to be unfolded and passed through the proteasome.
C. regulates the processing of lactase mRNA.
D. promotes the binding of transcription factors to the lactase gene promoter.

25. Which of the following statements is true with regards to the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression?
A. Methylated promoters will be transcribed.
B. RNA polymerase binds to undermethylated promoters.
C. Epigenetic mechanisms change nucleotide sequences in a gene.
D. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) bind to undermethylated promoters.

26. In situ hybridization can be used:

A. to detect protein degradation in developing tissues.
B. in humans to measure gene expression throughout the whole body.
C. to directly determine where DNA is located in tissues.
D. to indirectly determine when DNA is being expressed in tissues.

27. Researchers are trying to localize this target mRNA sequence 5’ CCCAUUCA 3’, using in situ
hybridization. Which of the following fluorescent DNA probes should researchers use to detect this mRNA
sequence?
A. 3’ GGGTAAGT 5’
B. 5’ GGGTAAGT 3’
C. 3’ GGGUAAGU 5’
D. 5’ GGGUAAGU 3’

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers
28. siRNAs are able to regulate gene expression by
A. tagging proteins that are meant for destruction with ubiquitin.
B. degrading target mRNA.
C. escorting mRNA to the proteasome for destruction.
D. blocking the ability of a ribosome to slide along mRNA and carry out translation.

29. Previous epigenetics research on identical twins has shown that

A. younger twin pairs have many differences in DNA methylation patterns when compared to older twin pairs.
B. older twins have very similar DNA methylation patterns.
C. younger twin pairs have very large differences in gene expression when compared to older twin pairs.
D. there is an epigenetic drift in gene expression in identical twins with increasing age.

30. The image below is a representation of the structure of the lactase gene. The final mature and functional
lactase protein will be made up of which regions from this sequence?

A. The SS, LCT α profragment, LCT β final, MA and CT regions.

B. The SS, LCT α profragment, MA and CT regions.
C. The LCT β final, MA and CT regions.
D. The SS, LCT β final, and MA regions.

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers
PART B: WRITTEN ANSWER-STYLE QUESTIONS 31 – 35 (worth 10 marks)
PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN BLUE OR BLACK PEN.
ANSWERS WRITTEN IN PENCIL WILL NOT BE RE-GRADED.

DR. KAJIURA’S WRITTEN ANSWER QUESTIONS (3 marks)

31. What are the names of any TWO locations (sites) where tRNA would be found inside of a ribosome during
the process of translation and describe the events at each of these locations (0.5 + 0.5 = 1 mark).

ANY TWO OF THE FOLLOWING IN ANY ORDER FOR A TOTAL MAXIMUM OF 1 MARK

A site is where a new, charged tRNA will first bind to the translation assembly. (0.5 mark)

P site is where a tRNA with an attached polypeptide chain is located after translocation and before
peptide bond formation (0.5 mark).

E site is where an uncharged tRNA will leave the ribosome. (0.5 mark)

32. Is the “one gene, one polypeptide” hypothesis considered to be the preferred hypothesis? Yes or No.
Describe the preferred hypothesis and elaborate upon why it is currently the most complete hypothesis. Also,
describe in detail the events associated with any one of the three related examples of a covalent attachment of
the other molecules that is related to the preferred hypothesis as related to Theme 2 Module 4 information
(0.5 + 0.5 + 0.5 + 0.5 =2 marks).

ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IN ANY ORDER FOR A TOTAL MAXIMUM OF 1.5 MARKS
No, the “one gene, only polypeptide” hypothesis is not the preferred hypothesis (0.5 mark).
The preferred hypothesis is the “one gene, one …. (0.5 mark), which is a more complete because it
takes into account that there are a number of post translation modifications which may take place
(0.5 mark).
Also acceptable, There are events that take place after the process of translation, such as
phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, and addition of the other functional groups. (0.5 mark).

ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FOR 0.5 MARK

Phosphorylation – covalent attachment of a phosphate group to serine, threonine, or tyrosine amino
acid residues in a protein by enzymes called kinases (0.5 mark)
or
Methylation – involves the covalent attachment of a methyl group such as a DNA molecule or
histone or another protein (0.5 mark)
or
Acetylation – involves the addition of an acetyl group to a specific amino acid residue in a proteins
such as a histone protein or another protein. (0.5 mark)

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers
DR. DA SILVA’S WRITTEN ANSWER QUESTIONS (7 marks)

33. The image below shows the results of a microarray analysis. In this experiment, researchers are trying to
determine which of 2 cell types that are found in a breast tumour is cancerous. Researchers know that
cancers typically have high expression of a mobility gene that enables a cancer cell to crawl to a new location
in the body. (Total = 2 marks)

A. Which of the two cells is likely the cancerous cell? How were you able to determine this? (0.5+ 0.5= 1
mark)

Cell 1 is likely the cancerous cell (0.5 mark), because it expresses the mobility gene while Cell 2 does
not (0.5 mark)

B. Do you think that the ribosomal protein gene may play a role in making a cell cancerous? Why or Why not?
(0.5+ 0.5= 1 mark)

ANY TWO OF THE FOLLOWING IN ANY ORDER FOR A TOTAL MAXIMUM OF 1 MARK

Ribosomal protein likely does not make a cell cancerous (0.5 mark)

This is because it is expressed equally in the cell type that is cancerous and the cell type that is not
cancerous (0.5 mark)

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Test 2 Practice Test Answers
34. The figure below shows the effect of pH on the activity of the isolated β-galactosidase enzyme that is found
in yogurt.

Considering that the pH of the stomach can be as low as pH 2, would the microbial β- galactosidase enzyme
that is present in yogurt be denatured as it passes through the stomach? Be sure to explain your answer with
experimental evidence from previous studies. (0.5+0.5+0.5+0.5 = 2 marks)

The enzyme would not be degraded (0.5 mark). This is because it is inside the actual bacteria in the
yogurt (0.5 mark)

Being inside the bacteria, the cell wall protects the enzyme(0.5 mark)

Also, the yogurt acts like a buffer and keeps pH of stomach higher (buffering capacity)(0.5 mark)

35. The Agouti gene experiments were the pioneering research that first showed strong evidence for
epigenetic regulation of gene expression. (Total = 3 marks)

A. Based on your knowledge of Agouti gene expression in Agouti mice, answer the following questions when
comparing between a brown mouse and its genetically identical yellow sibling. (0.5+ 0.5+ 0.5+0.5= 2 marks)
Characteristic Brown mouse Yellow mouse

Is the Agouti gene methylated (Yes/No)? YES (0.5 mark) NO (0.5 mark)

Is the Agouti gene expression level high or low? LOW (0.5 mark) HIGH (0.5 mark)

B. A researcher is able to experimentally make most of the offspring of a pregnant yellow female Agouti
mouse be born brown, by supplementing the mother’s diet with vitamin B12. Explain how the vitamin B12
supplement is able to lead to mostly brown offspring for this female yellow mouse. (0.5+0.5= 1 mark)

Vitamin B12 is a source of methyl groups (0.5 mark)

Added methyl sources in diet will methylate promoter of Agouti gene leading to less gene
expression (turning it off) (0.5 mark)

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