Summarize research conducted in order to identify how epigenetic changes might affect the risks of depression and
suicide in certain individuals. Comment on the limitations of this study. What will be an ideal response?
ANSWER: Scientists studied whether epigenetic changes might play a role in the fact that child abuse
and other early-life hardships increase the risk of depression and suicide. To see whether
differences in maternal care in humans causes changes in the stress receptor gene (GR gene)
as it does in rats, samples of the hippocampus were obtained after death in three groups: (1)
suicide victims with a history of child abuse, (2) suicide victims with no history of abuse, and
(3) victims who died suddenly but not by suicide. High levels of methylation were found in
the GR promoter in suicide victims with a history of child abuse but not in the other two
groups. The results are consistent with other studies using rats and suggest that epigenetic
mechanisms might respond to the social environment and alter the stress response later in
life. However, because the only tissue samples examined were from adults, it is uncertain if
these epigenetic modifications to the GR promoter occurred during prenatal development or
in early childhood.
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Which of the following is true of incomplete penetrance?
A. Environmental factors do not influence penetrance. B. Incomplete penetrance implies that some individuals will experience less severe forms of disease such as cancer or Alzheimer's. C. Gene interactions have been shown to result in incomplete penetrance in some cases. D. Incomplete penetrance refers to cases in which individuals developing a particular disease (e.g., cancer or Alzheimer's) lack the typical genotype for this disease.
Based on the phylogeny shown, which characteristic is homoplastic?
A. tree
B. needles
C. flowers
D. seeds
Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
· What type of thinking is required?
· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
Gather Content
· What do you already know about cladistics?
Consider Possibilities
· Consider the different answer options. Which can you rule out?
Choose Answer · Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
Which functional group acts as an organic base?
a. carbonyl b. hydroxyl c. phosphate d. amino
e. carboxylHighly conserved SH2 domains in various proteins play a role in coordinating their activities by
a) Preventing degradation of the proteins by the proteasome b) Functioning as sites of phosphorylation on the protein c) Serving as kinase domains that act on other proteins d) Bringing different proteins close together to favor certain signaling events