You work for a pharmaceutical company that designs small RNAs, used to control expression of disease genes . The primary focus area of your research should be

Question

A.  transcriptional repression.
B.  transcriptional activation.
C.  translational repression.
D.  translational activation.

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 small RNAs?

Consider Possibilities
· What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?

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?

Answer 1

C.  translational repression.

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        o This question addresses small RNAs.
· What type of thinking is required?
        o This question is asking you to take what you already know and apply it to this unfamiliar situation.
· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
        o A pharmaceutical company is a company that designs new medicinal drugs.
        o Small RNAs are either naturally-occuring or manufactured RNAs such as micro-RNAs (miRNAs) or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that regulate gene expression.

Gather Content
· What do you already know about small RNAs?
        o Small RNAs are used naturally by organisms, and also by researchers, to silence genes.

Consider Possibilities
· What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
        o Small RNAs typically work by silencing genes – that is, repressing gene expression.
        o Their mechanism of action involves binding of the small RNA to the native mRNA, attracting enzymes that inhibit translation or cut up the mRNA.

Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        o Since small RNAs act on the native mRNA, their regulation is post-transcriptional (after transcription), and specifically translational regulation.
        o Since they inhibit the expression of genes, they act as translational repressors.
 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?
        o This question asked what type of regulation you should focus on if you want to cure disease with small RNAs.
        o The question required you to take what you already know and apply it to this unfamiliar situation.
        o Did you recognize that small RNAs typically work post-transcriptionally, binding with mRNA to block translation?
        o Did you consider what RNAs are most likely to be able to bind?