For this assignment, we will consider a protein expressed in theliver of an African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). Biochemistsdetermined that this protein is involved in the production ofglycogen.

In a stunning announcement, a snowboarder in Antarctica claimsto have found a new species of cheetah that is able to survivefreezing temperatures and a long, dark winter. The snowboarderdescribed a slow, fat, white-furred cheetah that may be related tothe African cheetah. Scientists isolated a fragment of DNA from theobese feline creature which codes for the liver protein:

(3' end) ...CTACGTTCAGCTTGTCACGACTGGTTA... (5' end)

(5' end) ...GATGCAAGTCGAACAGTGCTGACCAAT... (3' end)

At almost the same time, a sleek, fast, white-coated cheetah wasfound in the Andes in South America where cheetahs were not knownto exist. With some difficulty, a geneticist convinced the cheetahto allow her to swab the inside of the big cat's cheek to get asample of DNA. Soon after, the geneticist was able to isolate thefollowing DNA fragment believed to be involved with glycogenproduction in the liver:

(3' end) ...TCACCTACGTTCAATAGGTCACGACTGG... (5' end)

(5' end) ...AGTGGATGCAAGTTATCCAGTGCTGACC... (3' end)

The original African cheetah DNA fragment describing the liverprotein in question is this:

(3' end) ...CACCTACGTTCAGGAGGTCAGGACTGGTTA... (5' end)

(5' end) ...GTGGATGCAAGTCCTCCAGTCCTGACCAAT... (3' end)

You are part of a team of geneticists, evolutionary biologists,and bioinformatics experts. You will attempt to describe thedifferences between the three species of cheetah in both geneticand evolutionary terms.

1)For each DNA sequence, transcribe to mRNA and then find thechain of amino acids that it produces. Remember that a gene mustbegin with the "Start" codon.

2)Describe the differences in the basic genetic code between thethree species. How many DNA point mutations would be required tochange from one species to the others? How do the amino acidsequences of the proteins differ? Are there any silent mutationsthat may not effect the function of the protein?

3)Looking at the amino acid substitutions that exist between thespecies, would you expect there to be large functional differencesbetween the two slightly different proteins based on the propertiesof the substituted amino acids? Explain why you think this might bethe case.

4)Quantitatively assess the evolutionary distance between eachpair of the three species using the substitution matrix and PAMscores. (This involves three pairs: African/Andes,African/Antarctic, and Antarctic/Andes.)

5)Propose a scenario describing how the two new cheetah speciesmight have evolved from the African cheetah. Were the two newcheetahs once a single species which then branched to form twoseparate species? Or did they evolve independently from the Africancheetah? Be sure to include in your scenario how the new cheetahsmanaged to move from Africa to their present locations. Estimate arelative time line for each separate speciation event. (Aspeciation event is the genetic or environmental event that resultsin the creation of a new species.) How might the three proteinsexplain the survivability of the three species in their nativehabitat? (A little speculation is OK here. You are presenting ahypothesis based on the available evidence. Further research wouldbe required to prove your hypothesis.)

HELP IS APPRECIATED

sapphiregoose826

For this assignment, we will consider a protein expressed in theliver of an African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). Biochemistsdetermined that this protein is involved in the production ofglycogen.

In a stunning announcement, a snowboarder in Antarctica claimsto have found a new species of cheetah that is able to survivefreezing temperatures and a long, dark winter. The snowboarderdescribed a slow, fat, white-furred cheetah that may be related tothe African cheetah. Scientists isolated a fragment of DNA from theobese feline creature which codes for the liver protein:

(3' end) ...CTACGTTCAGCTTGTCACGACTGGTTA... (5' end)

(5' end) ...GATGCAAGTCGAACAGTGCTGACCAAT... (3' end)

At almost the same time, a sleek, fast, white-coated cheetah wasfound in the Andes in South America where cheetahs were not knownto exist. With some difficulty, a geneticist convinced the cheetahto allow her to swab the inside of the big cat's cheek to get asample of DNA. Soon after, the geneticist was able to isolate thefollowing DNA fragment believed to be involved with glycogenproduction in the liver:

(3' end) ...TCACCTACGTTCAATAGGTCACGACTGG... (5' end)

(5' end) ...AGTGGATGCAAGTTATCCAGTGCTGACC... (3' end)

The original African cheetah DNA fragment describing the liverprotein in question is this:

(3' end) ...CACCTACGTTCAGGAGGTCAGGACTGGTTA... (5' end)

(5' end) ...GTGGATGCAAGTCCTCCAGTCCTGACCAAT... (3' end)

You are part of a team of geneticists, evolutionary biologists,and bioinformatics experts. You will attempt to describe thedifferences between the three species of cheetah in both geneticand evolutionary terms.

1)For each DNA sequence, transcribe to mRNA and then find thechain of amino acids that it produces. Remember that a gene mustbegin with the "Start" codon.

2)Describe the differences in the basic genetic code between thethree species. How many DNA point mutations would be required tochange from one species to the others? How do the amino acidsequences of the proteins differ? Are there any silent mutationsthat may not effect the function of the protein?

3)Looking at the amino acid substitutions that exist between thespecies, would you expect there to be large functional differencesbetween the two slightly different proteins based on the propertiesof the substituted amino acids? Explain why you think this might bethe case.

4)Quantitatively assess the evolutionary distance between eachpair of the three species using the substitution matrix and PAMscores. (This involves three pairs: African/Andes,African/Antarctic, and Antarctic/Andes.)

5)Propose a scenario describing how the two new cheetah speciesmight have evolved from the African cheetah. Were the two newcheetahs once a single species which then branched to form twoseparate species? Or did they evolve independently from the Africancheetah? Be sure to include in your scenario how the new cheetahsmanaged to move from Africa to their present locations. Estimate arelative time line for each separate speciation event. (Aspeciation event is the genetic or environmental event that resultsin the creation of a new species.) How might the three proteinsexplain the survivability of the three species in their nativehabitat? (A little speculation is OK here. You are presenting ahypothesis based on the available evidence. Further research wouldbe required to prove your hypothesis.)

HELP IS APPRECIATED

sangriamuskrat18

Messenger RNA (mRNA)...

a) Is a structural part of a ribosome

b) Brings amino acids to DNA

c) Carries genetic information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm

d) Is a structural part of a chromosome

e) Initiates and directs chemical reactions

Mr. Potato is homozygous dominant (KK), his son, Potato Jr. is heterozygous (Kk). Based on this information, what are the possible genotypes for Mrs. Potato? (Hint: use a Punnet Square).

a) Her genotype is definitely kk

b) Her genotype is either Kk or kk

c) Her genotype is either KK or Kk

d) Her genotype is either KK, or Kk, or kk

e) Mr. Potato cannot be Potato Jrâs biological father

12. Homologous chromosomes:

a) Are members of different chromosome pairs

b) Are genetically identical

c) Carry genetic information that influences the same traits (same genes but probably different alleles)

d) Are only inherited from the mother

e) Are only inherited from the father.

âFitnessâ in an evolutionary sense, refers to an individualâs:

a) Strength

b) Reproductive success

c) Aggressiveness

d) Size

e) Age at death

The fact that individuals who possess favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those who possess less favorable traits is the basis for the theory of...

a) uniformitarianism.

b) natural selection.

c) the inheritance of acquired characteristics.

d) catastrophism.

e) the fixity of species.

Even with strong selection, genetic variation of a population can be maintained because:

a) Selection only affects one gene at a time.

b) The effects of many alleles are hidden from selection by the effects of other alleles

c) Mutation constantly adds new alleles at an extremely fast rate.

d) Populations always go extinct before their gene frequencies are dramatically altered.

e) Only a and c

Gene Flow is defined as the:
a) Production of new alleles
b) New musical group in which Adam Levine will be the leading vocalist
c) Exchange of genes between populations
d) differential reproductive success of individuals
e) Process by which a DNA base gets extracted out of the nucleus to initiate the process of protein synthesis.

The basic unit of DNA is a molecule called a: a) Nucleotide

b) Base
c) Thymine
d) Prokaryoticcell e) mRNA

How many bases code for one amino acid? a) one

b) two
c) it depends on what amino acid it is d) three
e) four

Hemophilia is a condition that affects: a) more females than males
b) more males than females
c) females and males equally

d) only children born prematurely
e) individuals with a missing portion of chromosome number 5

A clear example of directional selection is:
a) Darwin finches with deeper and thicker beaks associated to a severe drought b) Sickle cell anemia in regions in which Malaria is endemic
c) Achondroplasticdwarfism
d) Fly halteres becoming fully developed wings after modification of a hox gene e) all of the above

Meiosis is evolutionarily significant because:
a) New combination of alleles can arise through independent assortment and crossing over

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

b) It is the mechanism by which body tissues are repaired
c) It creates somatic cells that are crucial for our body organs to maintain us alive d) It allows forensics to determine the cause of death of unidentified people
e) none of the above

Homologous chromosomes:

a) Are exact copies of each other and contain exactly the same genetic material
b) Are members of different chromosome pairs
c) Are only inherited from the father
d) carry genetic information that influences the same traits (the same genes), however, each of the homologous chromosomes can contain different versions of the same gene (different alleles).

e) carry genetic information that influences different traits because each of the homologous chromosomes contains completely different genes at very different loci

How many chromosome pairs occur in a normal human somatic cell?

a) 46 b) 23 c) 22 d) 24 e) 45

What is the scientific method? Use bullet points to describe the 4 major components.

How is a hypothesis different from a theory?

List the four major components (described during class) necessary for natural selection to occur [AKA Darwinâs Four Postulates] (PDF1-3).

27. Who was Thomas Malthus? In what way(s) Malthus was influential for Darwinâs Theory of Natural Selection? Hint: populations vs resources.

29. What amino acids are being coded for by the gene segment provided below? Nucleotide triplets and their corresponding amino acids are:
ACA= Cysteine; AAA=Phenylalanine; TGG=Threonine; CCT=Glycine; GAT=Leucine; ATA=Tyrosine; AGG=Serine; TCT=Arginine

a) Threonine, serine, glycine, tyrosine, leucine, phenylalanine, arginine, cysteine.

b) Tyrosine, leucine, glycine, threonine, arginine, threonine, serine, cysteine.

c) Arginine, cysteine, serine, glycine, threonine, leucine, phenylalanine, tyrosine.

d) Phenylalanine, leucine, tyrosine, glycine, serine, threonine, cysteine, arginine.

e) Phenylalanine, leucine, tyrosine, glycine, threonine, phenylalanine, arginine, serine.

BIOLOGY 202L Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Genetic Drift, Selective Sweep, Motoo Kimura

Document Summary

Get access

Related Documents

Biology 1201A Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Molecular Clock, Systematics, Chloroplast Dna

Biology 1001A Chapter Notes - Chapter 20: Molecular Evolution, Pseudogene, Volvox

BIOA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 32: Carl Linnaeus, Ecological Niche, Parthenogenesis

Related Questions