Gene Therapy 1 (MJC)

Human gene therapy

1) is accepted by the majority of the human population
2) cannot be used to treat genetic disorders
3) only involves in incorporating the correct genes in sec cells
4) is most successful with bone marrow cells.

Which of the following explains why plants are more readily manipulated by genetic engineering compared to animals?

1) Introns are not present in the genome of plants.
2) Genes can be injected into plant cells via microinjection
3) A somatic plant cell can give rise to a complete plant.
4) There are more vectors available to transfer recombinant DNA into plant cells.

One type of GM corn contains the amp gene that gives resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin.
There is concern that the digestion of this GM corn may result in the transfer of the amp gene to enterobacteria in the human intestine.
Which of the following explains why the transfer of genes from the plant to the bacteria is unlikely to happen?

1) An origin of replication and appropriate prokaryotic promoters are required for this amp gene to be expressed.
2) More than half of the enterobacteria isolated from human are amp resistant.
3) The bacteria are unable to take up any DNA released during the digestion of the plant without any vectors.
4) During digestion of the GM corn, all plant DNA is digested and destroyed by enzymes such as the human nuclease enzymes.

DNA technology has many uses in the medical field. Which of the following is not yet a common use of DNA technology ?

1) introduction of genetically engineered genes into the human genome
2) identification of genetic diseases genes in unborn children
3) genetic testing for carriers of harmful alleles
4) hormone production to treat illnesses such as diabetes

Genetic engineering is being used by pharmaceutical industries. Which of the following is not currently one of its uses?

1) production of human insulin
2) production of the human growth hormone
3) creation of enzymes that remove poisons from the human body
4) production of vaccines by genetically modifying plants

Which of the following is not a method through which a person inherits Severe Combined Immunodeficiency(SCID)?

1) X-linked inheritance
2) Y-linked inheritance
3) Autosomal recessive inheritance
4) None of the above

All of the following are methods to treat Severe Combined Immunodeficiency disease except for

1) gene therapy
2) living in a normal environment while taking prescriptions
3) bone marrow transplant
4) enzyme-replacement therapy

Cystic fibrosis will cause the life expectancy of the patient to be greatly reduced as it results in

1) the formation of pancreatic cysts in the pancreas
2) an inability to digest or absorb digested food efficiently
3) the patient being susceptible to pneumonia due to the build up of bacteria in the lungs
4) All of the above

The most common cause of Cystic fibrosis is

1) a point mutation
2) base pair substitution of 3 nucleotides
3) base pair insertion of 3 nucleotides
4) base pair addition of 3 nucleotides

There are many approaches to gene therapy. Which one below is not an approach?

1) A normal gene can be swapped with another gene through homologous recombination
2) A normal gene may be inserted into a non-specific location within the genome to replace a non-functional gene
3) The abnormal gene could be repaired through selective reverse mutation, which returns the gene to its normal function
4) The alteration of the regulation of a particular gene

An example of gene therapy would involve the use of a viral gene delivery system using a retrovirus as a vector.

Which of the following is a limitation of using a retrovirus as a vector?

1) It contains an RNA genome and hence cannot be used to integrate a gene into the DNA of humans
2) The length of human gene that can be inserted into the genome of the retrovirus is very small
3) It can only affect dividing cells and hence cannot be used in the treatment of certain diseases that affect non-dividing cells
4) It results in the apoptosis of the host cell.

Adeno-associated viruses are usually used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
Which of the following explains the advantages of using a adeno-associated virus?

1) The epithelial cells(target cells) are accessible for treatment.
2) It does not trigger an immune response
3)It does not disrupt other genes in the host genome as the DNA is inserted into a specific region on chromosome 19.
4) All of the above

The insertion of a plasmid containing the specific gene to serve as a non-viral vector can be done through many methods other than

1) electroporation
2) cationic liposome
3) a gene gun
4) ingestion of pills containing the plasmids

Which of the following is not a limitation of using adenovirus as a vector?

1) Oncogene derivation
2) Immune responses to the adeno virus
3) No integration of the gene into genome of the cell and hence is a short-term solution
4) Transient expression

There are various social and ethical objections to germ-line therapy such as

1) the issue of the therapy resulting in the occurrence of mutations due to limitations in technology
2) the issue of creating and destroying embryos for the purpose of research
3) the formation of social class distinctions as this therapy is expensive and only the rich is able to afford it
4) All of the above