Bio 401 Crowe
FINAL EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Multiple Choice
For the multiple choice questions below, circle ONE correct answer
___1. (3 pts.). Which of the following regions of a gene could be amplified in a RT-PCR experiment?
A. Coding region
B. 3’ UTR
C. Intron
D. All of the above
E. A and B only
___2. (2 pts.) Which of the following techniques could you use to directly test the hypothesis that importin 
and importin  work together to transport a NLS-containing protein to the nucleus?
A. Northern Blot
B. RT-PCR
C. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
D. Co-immunoprecipitation and Western Blot Analysis
E. In vitro nuclear transport assay
___3. (3 pts.). Factor A is normally expressed only in fly antennae. Which of the following experiments
tests whether Factor A is sufficient to induce antennae development in flies?
A. Knock out Factor A in flies and find that no antennae are formed
B. Express Factor A in a fly tissue-culture cell line and detect expression of antennae-specific
genes
C. Create a transgenic fly that expresses Factor A in fly legs and detect antennae growing
abnormally out of the legs of the transgenic flies.
D. Knock out Factor A in flies and find that antennae development is delayed
Short Answer Questions
___ 4. (4 pts). (6 pts.) Scientists wanted to perform an experiment to distinguish between the hypothesis that
cell fate restriction is a result of differential gene expression and the hypothesis that cell fate restriction is
due to progressive loss of DNA during differentiation. They decided to sequence DNA from two
differentiated adult liver cells from the same individual. They find no changes at the DNA level.
Does this experiment allow you to distinguish between these two hypotheses? YES NO (2 pts)
If yes, briefly explain why it allows you to distinguish and which hypothesis the results support.
If no, briefly explain why it does not allow you to distinguish between the hypotheses and how you could
change the experiment to allow you to distinguish between the hypotheses.
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Bio 401
Crowe
____5. (6 pts). The PAX6 gene is required for development of the eye. You want to test the hypothesis that
retinal cells express both a full-length PAX6 mRNA and an alternatively spliced form of PAX6 lacking
the 1st exon. You decide to isolate RNA from retinal cells and perform a RT-PCR experiment using two
primers which amplify the last PAX6 exon.
Assuming your primers are able to bind and amplify without any problems, will this approach allow you
to determine if both the full-length and the shortened PAX6 mRNA are expressed in retinal cells?
Circle one: YES NO
If YES, explain why this approach will work and describe any controls you would need to perform.
If NO, explain why this approach will not work and briefly describe what experimental approach
would allow you to test your hypothesis.
____ 6. (6 pts). The Lac Operon was inserted into a hamster chromosome at multiple locations throughout a
large region of heterochromatin.
Hamster cells were transfected either
with an expression vector encoding the
lac repressor protein (Fig. 1, left side)
or with an expression vector encoding
a lac repressor/transcription activation
domain fusion protein (Fig. 1, right
side). Both proteins were expressed at
similar levels. You visualize the cells
using a fluorescent antibody directed
against the Lac repressor protein and
observe the results shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1. The black ovals indicate the nuclei within a cell. The
1) Why do you see a single spot in
white spots inside the nucleus indicate fluorescence.
the cell on the left?
2) What change at the level of DNA/chromatin could explain why you see multiple spots in the cell on the
right?
3) What is one hypothesis for how the lac repressor/transcription activation domain fusion protein caused
the change observed in the cell on the right?
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Bio 401
Crowe
Problem Solving Questions
7. You are studying the transthyretin gene (TTR)
which encodes a liver cell-specific factor that
transports thyroid hormone. You perform the
experiment shown in Fig. 2.
____A. (3 pts.) What question is being asked in
the experiment shown in Fig. 1? Include the
words necessary or sufficient in your question
____B. (4 pts.) What type of cell should you
perform this experiment in?
Circle one: Liver cell
Non-liver cell
Explain your reasoning:
___C. (4 pts) What conclusion(s) can you draw
from the data in Fig. 2?
Fig. 2. Reporter gene assay. TTR = Transthyretin
___D. (6 pts) Based on these data, draw a picture of what an active TTR gene would look like. Remember to
include all of the types of proteins you would expect to find at an active gene.
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Bio 401
Crowe
Problem Solving Questions (cont.)
8. You are studying regulation of the AFP gene in humans. You discover that the AFP gene is only
expressed in fetal liver, not in adult liver. You decide to measure the levels of Foxa1 protein in fetal
and adult liver in humans (You know from your readings that Foxa1 activates AFP gene expression).
___A. (2 pts.) What technique could you use to do this (just state the technique, no details needed)
___________________________________
___ B. (5 pts.) You find that Foxa1 is expressed highly in both fetal and adult liver. Propose an
epigenetic mechanism for how the AFP gene may be regulated in this new primate (i.e. a model that
involves epigenetic regulation of gene expression). Your mechanism should include why AFP is
expressed during fetal liver development, but is not expressed in adult liver.
___ C. (2 pts.) State one prediction based on your model (the prediction does not need to cover all
aspects of your model).
___ D. (8 pts.) Design an experiment to test your prediction in 8C. Include any necessary controls.
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