Reading assessment questions for Unit 2-2, Introduction to Control of Gene Expression
1. Spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression is controlled by
a. cis-regulatory elements only
b. trans-acting factors only
c. both cis- and trans-acting components
d. neither cis- nor trans-acting components
2. Which of the following is NOT a transcriptional cis-regulatory element:
a. enhancer
b. preinitation complex
c. promoter
d. silencer
e. enhanceosome
3. RNA polymerase II is considered a:
a. mitochondrial matrix component
b. an insulator-binding protein
c. a general transcription factor
d. a cis-regulatory module
e. a reporter gene
4. In multicellular animals, is important to regulate gene expression
a. in time
b. in space
c. in abundance
d. all of the above
e. a and b only
5. The general transcription factors
a. typically can, on their own, induce a high level of transcription
b. are not necessary for the transcription of most genes
c. usually work in concert with activators and other transcription factors
d. bind to DNA far from the promoter
e. none of the above
6. Transcriptional enhancers
a. are a class of transcription factor
b. can be found far from their associated gene
c. work only when having a specific orientation with respect to the promoter
d. bind multiple transcription factors
e. a, b and c but not d
f. b, c and d but not a
7. Silencers
a. are similar to enhancers but negatively regulate gene expression
b. are a class of promoter element
c. primarily bind activator and co-activators
d. act at short range only
e. play no role in gene regulation
8. Insulators
a. help to keep genes from being activated by the wrong cis-regulatory
module
b. have a well-understood mechanism of action
c. are key components of enhancers
d. are typically found within introns
e. a and d only
9. Enhancers
a. frequently are modular
b. can be tested using a reporter gene assay
c. contact the promoter by looping of the DNA
d. can be within an intron of a gene
e. all of the above
10. Transcription factor binding sites are often identified
a. by DNAseI footprinting
b. by thin-layer chromatography
c. by gel shift (or EMSA)
d. by chromatin immunoprecipitation
e. a, b, and c but not d
f. a, b, and d but not c
g. a, c and d but not b
11. Transcription factors
a. can usually bind only a single unique DNA sequence
b. bind to cis-regulatory sequences
c. never bind to silencers or promoters
d. are usually composed of RNA
e. can activate but not repress transcription
12. Control of gene expression plays important roles in
a. controlling common phenotypic variation
b. evolution
c. disease and birth defects
d. all of the above
e. none of the above