Crop sunflowers are attacked by many fungal pathogens, such as downy mildew and Sclerotinia, resulting in economic losses of millions of dollars per year. What genes would be best to target for the development of new fungus-killing crop treatments (fungicides)?
A. Genes encoding chitin proteins that are shared by downy mildew and Sclerotinia, but absent in sunflower and humans.
B. Genes encoding growth proteins that are shared by downy mildew, Sclerotinia, and sunflower, but absent in humans.
C. Genes encoding metabolite proteins that are shared by downy mildew, Sclerotinia, and humans, but absent in sunflower.
D. Genes encoding basic development proteins that are shared by downy mildew, Sclerotinia, sunflower, and humans.
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 drug development?
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?
A. Genes encoding chitin proteins that are shared by downy mildew and Sclerotinia, but absent in sunflower and humans.
Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
o This question addresses drug development.
· What type of thinking is required?
o This question is asking you to weigh and judge, or evaluate, evidence to choose the best of the possible answers.
· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
o Crop sunflowers are sunflowers grown for their edible seeds.
o Fungal pathogens, such as downy mildew and Sclerotinia, are types of fungi that can cause disease.
Gather Content
· What do you already know about drug development?
o Genome sequences allow pharmaceutical researchers to find suitable drug targets to eliminate pathogens without harming the host.
o In the case of a new fungicide, the safety of the drug needs to be considered for both the plant (sunflowers) and the humans who will eat them.
Consider Possibilities
· What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
o It is crucial that the target gene not be present in humans, or it could make people sick.
o It is also essential that the target gene not be present in sunflowers, or it could sicken the crop.
Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
o The ideal fungicide would be effective on downy mildew and Sclerotinia, yet not interact with human genes or sunflower genes.
o So the drug should target genes such as those encoding chitin proteins that are shared by downy mildew and Sclerotinia, but absent in sunflower and humans.
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 would be the best targets for a new fungicide.
o The question required you to weigh and judge, or evaluate, evidence to choose the best of the possible answers.
o Did you recognize that the fungicide should target genes unique to fungi, and not those present in sunflowers or humans?
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AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an enzyme that is activated by high levels of AMP in cells. If levels of AMP are high in cells, that means that levels of ATP are low. Once active, AMPK activates catabolic pathways and inhibits anabolic pathways in the cell. Why do you think that is the case? Choose the answer that best explains the role of AMPK
A. High levels of AMP indicate that there is a high amount of energy stored in the cell, thus activating catabolic pathways and inhibiting anabolic pathways are mechanisms to use stored energy. B. By inhibiting anabolic pathways, AMPK provides a mechanism to generate heat for the cell, which is important if AMP levels are high in the cell. C. By activating catabolic pathways, AMPK provides a mechanism to activate exergonic pathways, which is important if AMP levels are high in the cell. D. Activating catabolic pathways and inhibiting anabolic pathways will ultimately lead to higher consumption of ATP, which is important if AMP levels are high in the cell.
If a trait is heritable, then individuals with a genetic relatedness of 0.5 are expected to
A) exhibit more phenotypic similarity than two random individuals in the population. B) be as similar in phenotype as a pair of random individuals in the population. C) have identical phenotypes because they are twins. D) have an average phenotypic value that is close to the mean of the population.
Research on starlings indicates that young birds migrate by _______________, but older birds use true __________________.
A. orientation; navigation B. navigation; migration C. migration; orientation D. navigation; orientation
All but which factor were important evolutionary adaptations in primates?
a. enhanced stereoscopic vision b. upright position c. an opposable thumb d. the development of a restricted or specialized diet e. brain expansion and elaboration