Your friend discovered a new multicellular organism living under the polar ice caps, and brought it back to the laboratory, where it seems to be growing well
Your friend is particularly interested in the proteins that allow this organism to survive in extreme cold. Because he is interested in proteins and because he has learned that most of the human genome does not code for exons, he is considering sequencing expressed sequence tags from this organism. What do you think the pitfalls of this approach might be? Explain.
Although expressed sequence tags (ESTs) can be very useful in identifying genes, the use of ESTs in this case may not work for several reasons. Two of these are:
1. ESTs are made from mRNAs, and thus represent actively transcribed genes. Your friend is studying the proteins that permit survival in extreme cold. Since the organism is no longer living in the extreme cold, the genes required for survival may no longer be expressed.
2. Because ESTs are made from mRNAs and because genes can be expressed at different levels, you will sequence the ESTs from genes that are abundantly transcribed more often than those that may be transcribed rarely.
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Which of the following organisms utilizes polycistronic mRNAs?
A) E. coli B) C. elegans C) mammals D) choices A and B only E) all of the above
Adding phosphorus to an aquatic ecosystem can result in a(n) __________ that clouds water and threatens other
aquatic species. Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
A failure in the lymphatic valves located in the left subclavian vein may result in
A. a decrease of fluid in the left arm and left ventral chest wall. B. edema in the left arm and left ventral chest wall. C. an overproduction of T cells within the thymus. D. an increase in the amount of lipoproteins in the bloodstream.
Which of the following is able to identify the pathogen responsible for intestinal symptoms?
A) upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy B) selective and differential culture media C) microscopic examination of stool samples D) selective and differential culture media, molecular techniques, and microscopic examination of stool samples E) molecular techniques