GRE Subject Test: Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology : Gene Regulation and Genomics

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology

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All GRE Subject Test: Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology Resources

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Example Questions

Example Question #421 : Gre Subject Test: Biochemistry, Cell, And Molecular Biology

Barbara McClintock initially discovered transposons in her work on corn at Cold Spring Harbor Lab, which she called the Ac / Ds system. What were dissociators (Ds)?

Possible Answers:

Transposons that are mobile and insert all over the genome

Genes that are interrupted by a transposon

None of these are correct

A transposon that suppresses another transposon

Defective transposons that served as sites of chromosome breakage

Correct answer:

Defective transposons that served as sites of chromosome breakage

Explanation:

Barbara McClintock named the transposons that are defective, and serve as sites of chromosomal breakage where other transposons insert (the associator, Ac) the dissociators. These were likely transposons that lacked the transposase that catalyzes their movement.

Example Question #422 : Gre Subject Test: Biochemistry, Cell, And Molecular Biology

Transposable elements can be significant factors in causing newly resistant bacterial strains. How do transposons cause resistance to develop?

Possible Answers:

Transposons are not actually involved in creating resistance

An individual transposon incorporates into the genome and is adapted

A transposon modifies a bacterial resistance plasmid

Transposons change gene expression levels

A composite of two transposons and a gene insert into the bacterial genome

Correct answer:

A composite of two transposons and a gene insert into the bacterial genome

Explanation:

Two transposons flanking an antibiotic resistance gene can easily move between bacteria and confer new resistance. A mix of transposons and new genes such as this is called a composite transposon. Recall that bacteria exchange genetic information via conjugation, transduction, and transformation.

Example Question #3 : Help With Transposable And Repeated Elements

What makes an LTR retrotransposon unique among other transposons?

Possible Answers:

The transposon is bound by repeats that contain a series of proteins

None of these are correct

The LTR regions allows insertion of the transposon anywhere in the genome, versus other restricted transposons

LTR retrotransposons are derived from short RNAs

LTR retrotransposons are not present in eukaryotes like humans

Correct answer:

The transposon is bound by repeats that contain a series of proteins

Explanation:

LTR stands for Long Terminal Repeats, which are 250-500 base pair repeats located on the ends of a transposon. These repeats encode a series of proteins, most significantly transposase. These are very likely to be early evolutionarily stages of retroviruses.

Example Question #74 : Molecular Biology And Genetics

How do non-LTR retrotransposons insert into the genome?

Possible Answers:

None of these are correct

The transposon carries an RNA polymerase promoter

The transposon uses the standard transposase insertion method

The ends of the transposon mimic ribosomal RNA gene sequences

Host DNA repair functions are tricked into integrating the transposon

Correct answer:

Host DNA repair functions are tricked into integrating the transposon

Explanation:

Non-LTR retrotransposons use an endonuclease that nicks thymine-rich host DNA, which eventually leads to incorporation of the transposon by host DNA repair functions. These other methods are all associated with different specializations of transposon.

Example Question #1 : Help With Genome Evolution

Why are rRNA genes more useful in molecular typing than other genes? 

Possible Answers:

There are multiple rRNA genes in each organism

None of these

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes have both highly conserved and variable regions

rRNA genes are only in bacteria and archaea

rRNA genes are only in eukaryotes

Correct answer:

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes have both highly conserved and variable regions

Explanation:

The correct answer is that rRNA genes have both highly conserved and highly variable regions. Molecular typing is the process of identifying species from a microbiome by analysis of common molecules or genes. All organisms including eukaryotes, prokaryotes, and archaea, (but not viruses) have multiple rRNA genes. Given that rRNA genes have highly conserved regions, it allows researchers to identify transcripts/genes as rRNA genes in unknown species. Comparing the sequences of the variable regions of the rRNA genes allows researchers to identify the species of the organism from which it is derived. 

Example Question #71 : Molecular Biology And Genetics

What is orthology in the context of genome comparisons?

Possible Answers:

None of these

A gene that has the same DNA sequence as that in another species

A gene that has the same function as another gene sequence

A homologous DNA sequence that was derived from the same ancestral sequence

A homologous DNA sequence that was derived from a gene duplication event

Correct answer:

A homologous DNA sequence that was derived from the same ancestral sequence

Explanation:

An orthologous gene is one that is descended from a common ancestral sequence. So, when two sequences from different species are compared, they are orthologs if they have the same evolutionary history. A paralogous gene is the case in which a similar gene sequence is derived from a genome duplication event, and do not have a evolutionary relationship. These genes often develop different functions, unlike orthologs.

Example Question #3 : Help With Genome Evolution

What is the physiological purpose of a tandem gene array?

Possible Answers:

Tandem arrays are a species specific genome feature used in species specific ways

Encoding of huge numbers of important genes simultaneously

Many copies of a genes serve to make it less likely that there are mutated copies

None of these

Tandem arrays are just an artifact of DNA duplication and replication processes

Correct answer:

Encoding of huge numbers of important genes simultaneously

Explanation:

Tandem arrays are used for extremely important genes, like ribosomal RNA genes that are vital for organism function. The arrays serve to allow massive parallelized encoding of these genes, because many copies are required.

Example Question #1 : Help With Genome Evolution

Why are rRNA genes and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) frequently used for organismal identification and evolutionary comparisons between organisms?

Possible Answers:

rRNA genes and ITS are highly divergent among all species

rRNA genes and ITS are highly conserved among all species

Only bacteria have ITS and only eukaryotes have rRNA genes

None of the other answers

rRNA genes and ITS have highly conserved regions and highly divergent regions

Correct answer:

rRNA genes and ITS have highly conserved regions and highly divergent regions

Explanation:

The correct answer is rRNA genes and ITS have highly conserved regions and highly divergent regions. Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes have rRNA genes and ITS, making these ideal targets for molecular typing. In order to amplify, then sequence these regions for evolutionary comparisons, universal primers are designed to anneal within the highly conserved regions and amplify through the highly divergent regions. The divergent regions of rRNA genes and ITS allow for specie to specie comparison and identification. 

Example Question #5 : Help With Genome Evolution

Genome projects on Drosophila and Anopheles have identified approximately 6,000 1:1 orthologs ranging from 100% to 20% identity. Why were no orthologs at a lower identity identified?

Possible Answers:

None of these are correct

It is almost impossible to align these sequences

No orthologs would exist below this threshold

These insects are too closely related to identify them

There are many orthologs present at other ratios clouding the data

Correct answer:

It is almost impossible to align these sequences

Explanation:

When two sequences have less than 20% identity, it is almost impossible to align them and identify that they are actually orthologs. This is especially the case in huge genome data sets, in which it is impossible to find matching sequences by hand.

Example Question #6 : Help With Genome Evolution

What are pseudogenes?

Possible Answers:

None of these are correct

A gene resulting from a duplication event that has degenerated and lost its function

A gene that has multiple copies in the genome

A gene that is no longer functional

A gene with a similar function to another gene

Correct answer:

A gene resulting from a duplication event that has degenerated and lost its function

Explanation:

The key factors that distinguish pseudogenes are that they are sequences that result from a duplication event in the genome, but have since mutated without selection pressure and have become nonfunctional.

All GRE Subject Test: Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology Resources

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