Quiz Medical Genetics
Quiz Medical Genetics
Quiz Medical Genetics
1 – Genetics Primer
1) Which of the following is a variant form of a gene, which has a different DNA
sequence and therefore produces a different product?
a) Gene
b) Allele
c) Locus
d) Genotype
e) Phenotype
2) Which of the following is a continuous DNA molecule with associated proteins that
carries genetic information in cells?
a) Genome
b) Chromosome
c) Mitosis
d) Meiosis
e) Locus
3) Which of the following means having only one copy of a gene, such as X-linked genes
in XY males?
a) Diploid
b) Haploid
c) Homozygous
d) Heterozygous
e) Hemizygous
4) Polymorphism describes an allele of a gene that is present in greater than what
percentage of a population, and has no easily discerned effect on phenotype of the
organism?
a) 99%
b) 75%
c) 50%
d) 25%
e) 1%
5) How many autosomes exist for humans?
a) 1
b) 22
c) 23
d) 44
e) 46
6) Sister chromatids attach to the centromere during which phase of mitosis?
a) Prophase
b) Metaphase
c) Anaphase
d) Telophase
e) None of the above
7) What chromosome is the !-globin chain of hemoglobin (Hb) on?
a) 1
b) 11
c) 13
d) 21
e) 23
8) Which of the following is true for carriers of sickle cell anemia?
a) Have sickle hemoglobin (HbS) but no anemia
b) Have normal hemoglobin (HbA) but no anemia
c) Have normal hemoglobin (HbA) and sickle hemoglobin (HbS) but no anemia
d) Have sickle hemoglobin (HbS) and have anemia
e) Have normal hemoglobin (HbA) and have anemia
f) Have normal hemoglobin (HbA), sickle hemoglobin (HbS) and have anemia
9) Most photographs of chromosomes are taken in what phase, which contains twice as
much DNA as do chromosomes in the majority of the cell cycle?
a) Prophase
b) Metaphase
c) Anaphase
d) Telophase
e) None of the above
Match the following descriptions with the chromosomal term:
10) Centromere is near one end; short arms (p) are very small a) Metacentric
11) Centromere is offset from center; arms are of different lengths b) Submetacentric
12) Centromere is near the center; arms are of nearly equal length c) Acrocentric
13) If one chromosome had two particular alleles at two different loci (A and B) and
another had different alleles at the same loci (a and b), which of the following are
possible with crossing over (which is more likely with increased gene distance)?
a) A and B or a and b
b) A and a or B and b
c) A and b or B and a
d) None of the above
14) Up to what percentage of all pregnancies result in the birth of a child with a
significant genetic or birth defect?
a) 9%
b) 7%
c) 5%
d) 3%
e) 1%
15) What is the recurrence risk for an autosomal dominant disorder?
a) 0%
b) 25%
c) 50%
d) 75%
e) 100%
e) Hybridization
2.6) In electrophoresis, DNA is ____ charged and will move toward the anode at a rate
that is ____ proportional to its size.
a) Positively; Directly
b) Positively; Inversely
c) Negatively; Directly
d) Negatively; Inversely
2.7) Hybridization techniques generally involve taking a short single-stranded nucleotide
of known sequence called a ____, and testing it against fragment of DNA for
complementarity.
a) Strip
b) Sticky
c) Blunt
d) Blot
e) Probe
Match the type of testing with the item to be identified:
2.8) Southern blotting a) RNA
2.9) Northern blotting b) Protein
2.10) Western blotting c) DNA
2.11) Using restriction enzymes to find point mutations at the restriction site, called
restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), is used for which of the following?
a) Screening a genomic library
b) Diagnosing genetic disease
c) DNA fingerprinting
d) Chromosome walking
e) DNA profiling
2.12) Which of the following methods used in DNA fingerprinting is as accurate as the
traditional fingerprint?
a) Chain termination method
b) Dideoxy method of Sanger
c) Chromosome walking
d) Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLPs)
e) Variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs)
2.13) In chromosome walking, adjacent fragments are identified by probes that:
a) Go from one fragment end to the next
b) Go from a sticky end to a blunt end
c) Go from a blunt end to a sticky end
d) Cut up genomic DNA into smaller more manageable fragments
e) Overlap adjacent fragments
2.14) Which of the following vectors would NOT be used for incorporation of large
eukaryotic genes?
a) Yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs)
b) Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs)
c) Cosmids
d) Plasmids
2.15) Which of the following describes the uptake of vector molecules into bacterial
cells?
a) Conjugation
b) Transduction
c) Transformation
d) Translation
e) Transfection
2.16) Cloning vectors that incorporate a polylinker, a region with multiple restriction
sites, have which of the following functions?
a) Gene functions with polylinker, gene functions with insert
b) Gene does not function with polylinker, gene does not function with insert
c) Gene does not function with polylinker, gene functions with insert
d) Gene functions with polylinker, gene does not function with insert
2.17) In an example of the vector pBluescript II SK, cells will have !-galactosidase
activity (break down chromogenic substrate) if a polylinker is intact. This results in a
blue medium. If the polylinker is interrupted, the medium is white. Which of the
following would be chosen in lab for further analysis when using the insertional
inactivation technique?
a) Blue media that is ampicillin-resistant (AmpR gene)
b) Blue media that is not ampicillin-resistant
c) White media that is ampicillin-resistant (AmpR gene)
d) White media that is not ampicillin-resistant
e) None of the above
2.18) How is a genomic library screened for an individual gene?
a) With an oligonucleotide probe and hybridization
b) With variable numbers of tandem repeats screening
c) With chromosome walking and northern blotting
d) Via vector-based DNA cloning
e) Through insertional inactivation
2.19) Which of the following allows for creation of cDNA libraries from mRNA but
would not be used for creating a genomic library?
a) DNA ligase
b) DNA polymerase
c) Reverse transcriptase
d) Restriction endonuclease
e) Vector plasmid
2.20) If we have an antibody for a protein within a cDNA library but no knowledge of the
protein sequence, protein expression can be turned on and radioactively labeled through
which technique?
a) Southern blotting
b) Northern blotting
c) Western blotting
d) Hybridization
e) PCR
2.21) If the cDNA sequence of protein at the C-terminus and N-terminus is known, back
translation and oligonucleotide primers can be used in which of the following methods to
create more of the target cDNA?
a) Southern blotting
b) Northern blotting
c) Western blotting
d) Hybridization
e) PCR
2.22) If a gene is expressed within human liver cells, which of the following cells can be
used to create a genomic library?
a) Liver
b) Heart
c) Spleen
d) Bone marrow
e) Any human cell
2.23) If a gene is expressed within human liver cells, which of the following cells can be
used to create a cDNA library?
a) Liver
b) Heart
c) Spleen
d) Bone marrow
e) Any human cell
3.1) Which of the following sequences is most likely to be a restriction enzyme
recognition sequence?
a) 5’ GTCCTG, 3’ CAGGAC
b) 5’ TACGAT, 3’ ATGCTA
c) 5’ CTTAAG, 3’ GAATTC
d) 5’ ATCCTA, 3’ TAGGAT
3.2) A series of patients in a small town visit the hospital complaining of bloody diarrhea,
fatigue, and confusion. Physical exams reveal neurological deficits, and laboratory tests
show anemia, thrombocytopenia, and uremia. Peripheral blood smears show fragmented
RBCs, but subsequent Coombs tests are negative. After careful questioning, the doctors
discover that each patient frequents the same fast-food burger joint. The physicians
identify the causative agent with serological testing and stool cultures appearing metallic
green. Which of the following restriction enzymes is associated with this bacterium?
a) AluI
b) BamHI
c) EcoRI
d) HaeIII
e) NotI
4) Restrictions enzymes that create staggered cuts with a special affinity (if reunited)
leave ____ ends. Linkers may be needed for DNA ligation if cutting results in ____ ends.
a) Blunt; Blunt
b) Blunt; Sticky
c) Sticky; Blunt
d) Sticky; Sticky
a) Brothers
b) Sisters
c) Semi-identical twins
d) Fraternal (dizygotic) twins
e) Monozygotic twins
6) Which of the following, which are all created by recombinant DNA techniques, was
the first successful alternative to previous, possibly infectious, solutions?
a) Hepatitis B vaccine
b) Human insulin
c) Growth hormone
d) Factor VIII
e) Tissue plasminogen activator
f) Hematopoietic growth factor
g) !-interferon
7.1) Which of the following DNA technology applications would affect the patient and
their descendants?
a) Gene therapy
b) Somatic cell therapy
c) Gene replacement therapy
d) Germline therapy
e) Gene blocking therapy
7.2) Gene replacement therapy is best suited for correcting which type of mutations?
a) Loss-of-function
b) Gain-of-function
c) Dominant negative
d) B and C
e) A, B, and C
7.3) Which of the following gene therapy vectors infects dividing cells and thus can
activate tumor formation?
a) Adenoviral vectors
b) Adeno-associated viral vectors
c) Retroviral vectors
d) Lentiviral vectors
7.4) Which of the following genes is expressed in half of all cancers and has been
inserted in lung tumors in an effort to halt tumor progression?
a) Bcl-2
b) Btk
c) Bax
d) Ki-67
e) P53
7.5) Gene blocking therapies are used for which of the following mutations?
a) Loss-of-function
b) Gain-of-function
c) Dominant negative
d) B and C
e) A, B, and C
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5 – Genetic Variation
1.1) Which of the following types of base substitutions results in a stop codon being
produced (UAA, UAG, UGA in mRNA)?
a) Silent
b) Missense
c) Nonsense
1.2) In splice-site mutations, what sequence always defines the 5’ splice site (donor site)?
a) AT
b) CG
c) AG
d) GT
e) TC
1.3) In splice-site mutations, what sequence always defines the 3’ splice site (acceptor
site)?
a) AT
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b) CG
c) AG
d) GT
e) TC
1.4) In a promoter mutation (similar to an enhancer mutation), which of the following is
originally altered?
a) Protein production
b) mRNA production
c) RNA polymerase
d) DNA polymerase
e) Promoter site affinity
1.5) Which of the following mutations would cause a frameshift and thus likely be the
most detrimental?
a) Insertion of 1 base pair
b) Deletion of 3 base pairs
c) Insertion of 3 base pairs
d) Deletion of 9 base pairs
e) Insertion of 15 base pairs
1.6) Transposon mutations, also known as mobile elements or “jumping genes”, cause
what type of mutations?
a) Silent
b) Frameshift
c) Nonsense
d) Missense
e) None of the above
1.7) Expanded repeat mutations affect tandem repeated DNA sequences near which of
the following locations?
a) Stop codons
b) Start codons
c) Exon/intron splice sites
d) Disease-related genes
e) Palindromic sequences
2.1) Gain-of-function mutations produce dominant disorders, such as in Huntington and
Alzheimer disease. Which of the following is a gain of function disorder that commonly
affects the feet?
a) Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
b) Cystic fibrosis
c) Hemophilia
d) Cancer
e) Gaucher disease
2.2) Loss-of-function mutations are often seen in ____ diseases where ____ of the protein
product is lost. Hypercholesterolemia is an exception as the loss-of-function mutation
yields abnormal function in heterozygotes (haploinsufficiency).
a) Dominant; 100%
b) Dominant; 50%
c) Recessive; 100%
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d) Recessive; 50%
e) Recessive; 0%
3.1) Sickle cell disease, a !-globin missense mutation, causes cells to change shape
during low oxygen tension. In which of the following locations is this most likely to
occur and cause clinical problems?
a) Veins
b) Heart
c) Arteries
d) Spleen
e) Capillaries
3.2) Which of the following types of mutations is most likely associated with "-
thalassemia and not !-thalassemia?
a) Missense
b) Nonsense
c) Deletion
d) Frameshift
e) Silent
3.3) Which of the following results from a simple mutation and has no production of !-
globin (often fatal in first decade if untreated)?
a) Sickle cell disease
b) HbH disease
c) Hydrops fetalis (Hb Barts)
d) B0 thalassemia
e) B+ thalassemia
3.4) Which of the following affects three of the four "-globin chains, leading to anemia
and splenomegaly?
a) Sickle cell disease
b) HbH disease
c) Hydrops fetalis (Hb Barts)
d) B0 thalassemia
e) B+ thalassemia
3.5) Which of the following affects all four "-globin chains, leading to congestive heart
failure (CHF) and possibly neonatal death?
a) Sickle cell disease
b) HbH disease
c) Hydrops fetalis (Hb Barts)
d) B0 thalassemia
e) B+ thalassemia
4.1) Nonionizing radation, such as UV light, causes covalent bonds to form between
adjacent pyrimidine bases. This would most likely form a dimer of:
a) Thymine and thymine
b) Adenine and guanine
c) Cystosine and guanine
d) Adenine and thymine
e) Guanine and guanine
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4.2) Which of the following is least likely to be caused by mutagens from radiation
and/or chemicals?
a) Replication errors
b) Frameshift mutations
c) Base substitutions
d) Base deletions
e) Gain-of-function mutations
5) Which of the following would result in the highest rate of mutation?
a) Small genes, few hot spots, old age
b) Small genes, few hot spots, old age
c) Large genes, few hot spots, old age
d) Large genes, many hot spots, old age
e) Small genes, few hot spots, young age
6) Which type of DNA repair defect is involved in xeroderma pigmentosum (XP),
leading to skin tumors, photosensitivity, cataracts, and neurological abnormalities?
a) Defective repair of UV-induced damage in transcriptionally active DNA
b) Mutations in the reqQ helicase family
c) Nucleotide repair defects including helicase and endonuclease genes
d) Normal gene product involved in halting the cell cycle after damage
e) Mutation in any of the six DNA mismatch-repair genes
7.1) In sickle cell anemia, glutamic acid is replaced with valine in the hemoglobin (Hb)
gene. Electrophoresis can be used to diagnose this disorder by sorting normal Hb (HbA)
from sickle Hb (HbS) in what way?
a) By protein size
b) By protein shape
c) By protein charge
d) By protein age
e) By protein binding
7.2) Which of the following is NOT true about DNA cloning techniques?
a) They are used to create thousands of copies of human DNA
b) They are very quick, often taking under an hour
c) They are usually needed for Southern blotting
d) They are used in genetically engineering insulin
e) Micrograms of DNA are needed for cloning to work
7.3) Which of the following uses differential electrophoretic mobility of test DNA with
different secondary structures (conformations) through a nondenaturing gel?
a) Direct DNA sequencing
b) Single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis
c) Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis
d) DNA mismatch cleavage
e) Allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO) hybridization
f) DNA microarray hybridization
g) Protein truncation
7.4) Which of the following uses reverse transcriptase PCR (RF-PCR) containing a T7
promoter and can detect frameshift, splice site, or nonsense mutations?
a) Direct DNA sequencing
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b) 1/4
c) 1/6
d) 1/8
e) 1/10
4.1) Given that the prevalence (homozygous recessive) of cystic fibrosis is 1 in 2,500,
what is the prevalence of heterozygous carriers of cystic fibrosis?
a) 1 in 250
b) 1 in 125
c) 1 in 50
d) 1 in 25
e) 1 in 5
4.2) Which of the following describes the Hardy-Weinberg equation solved for a single
variable (allele)?
a) p^2 + 2p*(1-p) + (1-p)^2 = 1
b) p^2 + 2p*(1-p) + p^2 = 1
c) p^2 + 2p*(p-1) + (p-1)^2 = 1
d) (1-p) + 2p^2 + (1-p)^2 = 1
e) (p-1) + 2p^2 + (p-1)^2 = 1
5) Genotypes (genetic constitution at a locus) correspond uniquely to phenotypes (actual
physical or clinical observed trait).
a) True
b) False
6.1) A father brings in his child for a routine physical exam. It is found that the child has
postaxial polydactyly, an extra digit next to the fifth digit. The father has the same trait
and with some questioning it seems the trait does not skip generations. Which of the
following inheritance patterns is most likely?
a) X-linked dominant
b) X-linked recessive
c) Autosomal dominant
d) Autosomal recessive
e) Y-linked
6.2) A child is diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. It is found that the child’s parents
are close relatives (consanguinity). Further questioning of the parents reveals that one of
their grandparents had the same disorder. Which of the following inheritance patterns is
most likely?
a) X-linked dominant
b) X-linked recessive
c) Autosomal dominant
d) Autosomal recessive
e) Y-linked
7.1) What is the recurrence risk of an autosomal dominant disorder if one parent has the
disorder?
a) 100%
b) 75%
c) 50%
d) 25%
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e) 0%
7.2) What is the recurrent risk of an autosomal recessive disorder if one parent has the
disorder?
a) 100%
b) 75%
c) 50%
d) 25%
e) 0%
8.1) Which of the following is a frequent cause of the appearance of a genetic disease in
an individual with no previous family history of the disorder, and involves 7 of 8 cases of
achondroplasia?
a) Variable expression
b) Delayed age of onset
c) Germline mosaicism
d) New mutations
e) Reduced penetrance
8.2) Which of the following is associated with the lethal perinatal form of osteogenesis
imperfecta and does not affect somatic cells?
a) Variable expression
b) Delayed age of onset
c) Germline mosaicism
d) New mutations
e) Reduced penetrance
8.3) Which of the following is involved when individuals have a disease-causing
genotype (e.g. retinoblastoma) but do not develop the disease phenotype?
a) Variable expression
b) Delayed age of onset
c) Germline mosaicism
d) New mutations
e) Reduced penetrance
8.4) Which of the following complicates the interpretation of inheritance patterns in
families with Huntington disease as fathers tend to show affects before mothers?
a) Variable expression
b) Delayed age of onset
c) Germline mosaicism
d) New mutations
e) Reduced penetrance
8.5) Which of the following can have complete penetrance but a widely varying severity
of disease, such as in neurofibromatosis type 1 (von Recklinghausen disease)?
a) Variable expression
b) Delayed age of onset
c) Germline mosaicism
d) New mutations
e) Reduced penetrance
8.6) Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder that affects the eye, the
skeleton, and the heart. It is thus said to be which of the following?
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a) Anticipation
b) Pleiotropy
c) Genomic imprinting
d) Heterogeneity
e) Repeat expansion
8.7) When mutations at different loci in different families cause the same disease
phenotype, it is said to be which of the following?
a) Anticipation
b) Pleiotropy
c) Genomic imprinting
d) Heterogeneity
e) Repeat expansion
8.8) Differential activation of genes, depending on the parent from which they are
inherited (e.g. Prader-Willi syndrome or Angelman syndrome), is known as which of the
following?
a) Anticipation
b) Pleiotropy
c) Genomic imprinting
d) Heterogeneity
e) Repeat expansion
8.9) Diseases that show an earlier age of onset and more severe symptoms in the more
recent generations of a pedigree, such as in myotonic dystrophy, are termed which of the
following?
a) Anticipation
b) Pleiotropy
c) Genomic imprinting
d) Heterogeneity
e) Repeat expansion
8.10) An increase in certain trinucleotide sequences has been linked to disease, such as
fragile X syndrome. This is termed which of the following?
a) Anticipation
b) Pleiotropy
c) Genomic imprinting
d) Heterogeneity
e) Repeat expansion
9.1) Which of the following is the proportion of a population's chromosomes that have a
specific allele?
a) Gene frequencies
b) Gene flow
c) Natural selection
d) Founder effect
e) Genetic drift
9.2) Which of the following increases the population frequency of favorable mutations,
such as sickle cell anemia in populations with a high incidence of malaria?
a) Gene frequencies
b) Gene flow
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c) Natural selection
d) Founder effect
e) Genetic drift
9.3) Statistically, smaller populations are more likely to see a higher probability of
uncommon diseases. Larger populations tend to normalize to the theoretical incidence of
the disease. Thus, an increase in which of the following would be seen in small
populations?
a) Gene frequencies
b) Gene flow
c) Natural selection
d) Founder effect
e) Genetic drift
9.4) Several genetic diseases (e.g., torsion dystonia, Tay-Sachs disease, Gaucher disease)
occur with increased frequency in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. This may be the
result of which of the following?
a) Gene frequencies
b) Gene flow
c) Natural selection
d) Founder effect
e) Genetic drift
9.5) Which of the following occurs when populations exchange migrants who mate with
one another?
a) Gene frequencies
b) Gene flow
c) Natural selection
d) Founder effect
e) Genetic drift
7 – Pedigree Analysis
1.1) In a pedigree, a non-shaded symbol means that individual is not affected with the
disease in question and also not a carrier.
a) True
b) False
1.2) If it is known that an individual male is a carrier of a genetic disease, which of the
following shapes would be indicated on a pedigree?
a) Fully-shaded square
b) Half-shaded square
c) Non-shaded square
d) Fully-shaded circle
e) Half-shaded circle
f) Non-shaded circle
1.3) A slash through an individual’s pedigree symbol means:
a) They carrier the genetic disease
b) They are affected by the genetic disease
c) They are not affected by the genetic disease
d) They are immune to the genetic disease
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a) 1/2
b) 1/4
c) 1/8
d) 1/16
e) 1/32
7.3) On a pedigree of two consanguineous individuals, if each ancestor is counted up to
the common ancestor and then back down to the other individual, what is the coefficient
of relationship if there are 2 counted ancestors?
a) (1/2)^(n-2) = 1
b) (1/2)^(n-1) = 1/2
c) (1/2)^(n) = 1/4
d) (1/2)^(n+1) = 1/8
e) (1/2)^(2n) = 1/16
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3.2) Agents such as 5-azacytidine, can have what affect on CG dinucleotides in the 5'
regions of genes?
a) Methylates them and reactivates inactive X chromosomes in vitro
b) Methylates them and inactivates X chromosomes in vitro
c) Demethylates them and reactivates inactive X chromosomes in vitro
d) Demethylates them and inactivates X chromosomes in vitro
3.3) Aneuploid females have ____ Barr bodies and a XXX individual would have ____
Barr bodies.
a) 0; 2
b) 0; 1
c) 0; 0
d) 1; 0
e) 2; 0
4) A man with an X-linked disease mates with a female who does not have the disease
and is not a carrier. If they have 4 sons, how many will have the disease?
a) 4
b) 3
c) 2
d) 1
e) 0
5.1) Which of the following is the most common type of inherited X-linked (recessive)
color blindness?
a) Blue and green
b) Red and blue
c) Blue and yellow
d) Red and green
e) All colors (dichromat)
5.2) Hemophilia, a bleeding disorder that can present with bruising and hemarthroses, is
caused by a deficiency or defect in what clotting factor?
a) Factor XII
b) Factor X
c) Factor VIII
d) Factor V
e) Factor II
5.3) Which of the following diseases is associated with the largest known gene in
humans?
a) Sickle Cell Disease
b) Duchene Muscular Dystrophy
c) Huntington Disease
d) Marfan Syndrome
e) Burkitt Lymphoma
6.1) Fragile X syndrome is responsible for 40% of all cases of X-linked mental
retardation. Which of the following is NOT a symptom of fragile X syndrome?
a) Increased testicular volume
b) Hypermobile joints
c) Long face
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d) Large ears
e) Protruding eyes
6.2) Fragile X syndrome shows an affected X chromosome when cultured in media
deficient in which of the following?
a) Thiamin
b) Riboflavin
c) Niacin
d) Folic acid
e) Ascorbic acid
6.3) Which of the following best describes the transmission of fragile X syndrome
(Sherman paradox)?
a) X-linked dominant
b) X-linked recessive
c) X-linked dominant with reduced penetrance
d) X-linked recessive with reduced penetrance
e) Y-linked
7.1) Which of the following is true about transmission of disease caused by mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA)?
a) Only females can transmit the disease
b) Only males can transmit the disease
c) Both females and males can transmit the disease
d) Only females can get the disease
e) Only males can get the disease
7.2) Which of the following is NOT true about mtDNA?
a) It contains no introns
b) The rate of mutation is 10 times higher than that of nuclear DNA
c) It contains 2 rRNAs and 22 tRNAs
d) Variable expression in mitochondrial diseases is due to mtDNA heteroplamsy
e) It has many DNA repair mechanisms
8) The larger the proportion of heteroplasmic mutant mtDNA molecules, the more severe
the expression of the disease.
a) True
b) False
9.1) Which of the following is heteroplasmic and has single-base mutations in a tRNA
gene?
a) Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON)
b) Myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fiber syndrome (MERRF)
c) Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy and stroke-like episodes (MELAS)
d) Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO)
e) B and C
9.2) Which of the following is rarely heteroplasmic, has missense mutations in protein-
coding mtDNA genes, and has symptoms beginning in the third decade of life?
a) Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON)
b) Myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fiber syndrome (MERRF)
c) Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy and stroke-like episodes (MELAS)
d) Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO)
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e) B and C
9 – Clinical Cytogenetics
1.1) Stalks and satellites are seen on what type of chromosomes?
a) Metacentric
b) Submetacentric
c) Acrocentric
d) Telomeric
1.2) Which of the following involves staining chromosomes during prophase or early
metaphase, before they have reached maximal condensation in metaphase?
a) G-banding (Giemsa)
b) R-banding (Reverse)
c) Q-banding (Quinacrine)
d) C-banding(Constructive heterochromatin)
e) High resolution banding
1.3) Which type of banding involves chromosomes partially digested by trypsin and gives
results similar to the karyotype shown?
a) G-banding (Giemsa)
b) R-banding (Reverse)
c) Q-banding (Quinacrine)
d) C-banding(Constructive heterochromatin)
e) High resolution banding
1.4) Which type of banding stains near the centromere?
a) G-banding (Giemsa)
b) R-banding (Reverse)
c) Q-banding (Quinacrine)
d) C-banding(Constructive heterochromatin)
e) High resolution banding
1.5) Which type of banding requires heat treatment and is useful in staining the distal
ends (telomere area) of the chromosome?
a) G-banding (Giemsa)
b) R-banding (Reverse)
c) Q-banding (Quinacrine)
d) C-banding(Constructive heterochromatin)
e) High resolution banding
1.6) Which type of banding requires a fluorescence microscope and was the first method
developed to produce specific banding patterns?
a) G-banding (Giemsa)
b) R-banding (Reverse)
c) Q-banding (Quinacrine)
d) C-banding(Constructive heterochromatin)
e) High resolution banding
2.1) Which of the following is used to detect losses or duplication of specific
chromosome regions?
a) Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
b) Spectral karyotyping
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5.3) Which of the following has very few consequences but sometimes sterility,
menstrual irregularity, or mild mental retardation?
a) 45,X (Turner syndrome)
b) XXY (Klinefelter syndrome)
c) XXX (Trisomy X)
d) 47,XYY syndrome
5.4) Which of the following results in taller than average males, a slight reduction in IQ,
sterility, and can involves treatment of gynecomastia with mastectomy and testosterone?
a) 45,X (Turner syndrome)
b) XXY (Klinefelter syndrome)
c) XXX (Trisomy X)
d) 47,XYY syndrome
6.1) Which of the following is true of unbalanced chromosomal abnormalities
(unbalanced rearrangement)?
a) Chromosomal material is gained
b) Chromosomal material is lost
c) Chromosomal material is either lost or gained
d) Chromosomal material is neither lost nor gained
6.2) Translocation is the exchange of genetic material between:
a) Opposite ends of a chromosome
b) Homologous chromosomes
c) Non-homologous chromosomes
d) Parents
e) Offspring
6.3) Microscopically observable chromosome deletions, which may be either terminal or
interstitial, usually affect a fairly large number of genes and produce recognizable
syndromes.
a) True
b) False
6.4) Uniparental disomy is the cause of about 30% of Prader-Willi cases. This could
occur if the mother contributed ____ copies of the chromosome and the father contributes
____ copies.
a) 2; 2
b) 1; 1
c) 0; 0
d) 0; 2
e) 2; 0
6.5) Which of the following can arise from unequal crossover, or can occur among the
offspring of reciprocal translocation carriers?
a) Isochromosome
b) Uniparental disomy
c) Inversion
d) Duplication
e) Deletion
6.6) Ring chromosomes can form from deletion of what part(s) of the chromosome?
a) One terminal and one interstitial part
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b) 9; 14
c) 8; 22
d) 9; 22
e) 14; 22
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b) Functional
c) Syntenic
d) Recombinant
e) Linked
1.6) Nearly the entire human DNA library has been cloned into which of the following,
which can accommodate large DNA inserts?
a) Sequence tagged sites (STSs)
b) Yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs)
c) Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs)
d) Bacteriophage artificial chromosomes (BACs)
e) P1 artificial chromosomes (PACs)
1.7) About 60% of human genes, including nearly all housekeeping genes and most of the
widely expressed genes, are which of the following?
a) Methylated AT islands
b) Methylated CG islands
c) Unmethylated AT islands
d) Unmethylated CG islands
1.8) Which of the following describes linkage phase?
a) The arrangement of alleles on each chromosome
b) When crossing over takes place
c) When rearrangement takes place
d) When mutation takes place
e) Meiosis metaphase
1.9) On a pedigree, assuming multiple offspring in each generation, which generation is
uninformative mating as linkage phase cannot be determined?
a) I
b) II
c) III
d) IV
e) V
1.10) Which of the following involves a series of DNA fragments that overlap partially?
a) Exon trapping
b) Contig map
c) Expressed sequence tags (ESTs)
1.11) Which of the following is used to determine which alterations in DNA are disease
causing genes?
a) Exon trapping
b) Contig map
c) Expressed sequence tags (ESTs)
1.12) Which of the following uses cDNA libraries flanked by PCR primers?
a) Exon trapping
b) Contig map
c) Expressed sequence tags (ESTs)
2) The closer genes are to each other, the ____ they are to undergo recombination and the
____ they are to be linked.
a) Less likely; Less likely
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a) Association
b) Functionality
c) Syntenicity
d) Recombination
e) Linking
5.2) If a large collection of families are studied and it is found that there is no preferential
association between the disease gene and a specific allele at a linked marker locus, the
two loci are said to be in:
a) Linkage equilibrium
b) Linkage disequlilibrium
5.3) Linkage refers to a statistical relationship between two traits in the general
population. The two traits occur together in the same individual more often than would be
expected by chance alone.
a) True
b) False
6.1) If four chromosomes synapse into a cross-shaped configuration during meiotic
prophase, the organism is heterozygous for a:
a) Pericentric inversion
b) Deletion
c) Translocation
d) Paracentric inversion
e) None of the above
6.2) Deletions and translocations (e.g. Xp21 gene and DMD) can interrupts the target
gene, leading to disease and providing a means of mapping the disease.
a) True
b) False
7) Which of the following techniques begins with a somatic cell that contains a single
human chromosomes?
a) In situ hybridization
b) Somatic cell hybridization
c) Radiation hybrid mapping
8) Which of the following is contained in the genomic library as well as the cDNA
library?
a) Non-coding DNA
b) Promoters
c) Enhancers
d) Introns
e) Exons
9) A patient presents with an inherited clotting disorder. Which of the following would be
the most plausible candidate gene (positional candidate) for further analysis?
a) Collagen gene
b) Fibrillin gene
c) Elastin gene
d) Platelet gene
e) Hemoglobin gene
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12 – Developmental Genetics
1.1) Which of the following, like Xenopus laevis (frog), has a transparent embryo and is
easy to maintain in large populations?
a) Papio hamadryas (baboon)
b) Mus musculus (mouse)
c) Danio rerio (zebrafish)
d) Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly)
e) Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm)
1.2) The fate of every cell is known in which of the following?
a) Papio hamadryas (baboon)
b) Mus musculus (mouse)
c) Danio rerio (zebrafish)
d) Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly)
e) Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm)
2.1) Mutations to which of the following paracrine signal molecules leads to autosomal
dominant disorders such as achondroplasia, hypochondroplasia, and thanatophoric
dysplasia?
a) Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)
b) Sonic hedgehog (Shh)
c) Wingless (Wnt)
d) Transforming growth factor ! (TGF-!)
2.2) Mutation of the DNA transcription factor Sox 10 leads to what syndrome?
a) Turner syndrome
b) Hirschsprung disease
c) Treacher Collins syndrome
d) Pierre Robin sequence
e) Pfeiffer syndrome
2.3) A mutation in the LAMC2 gene that encodes a subunit of laminin (in extracellular
matrix, ECM) would lead to which of the following?
a) Excessive bruising
b) Marfan syndrome
c) Skin tearing
d) Blister formation
e) Inability to sweat
3) Mutations in which of the following can produce pleiotropic effects (more than one
genetic effect) due to multiple targets being affected?
a) Paracrine signal molecules
b) DNA transcription factors
c) Extracellular matrix proteins
Match the ECM protein mutation with the associated development disorder:
4.1) Marfan syndrome a) Collagen
4.2) Osteogenesis imperfecta b) Fibrillin
4.3) Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) c) Elastin
4.4) Supravalvular aortic stenosis d) Laminin
Match the gene mutation with the associated phenotypic expression:
5.1) FGF a) Hirschsprung disease (hypomobility of the bowel)
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13 – Cancer Genetics
1.1) Which of the following has a two-hit model where the first mutation is inherited?
a) Tumor suppressor genes
b) Oncogenes
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14 – Multifactorial Inheritance
1.1) If pyloric stenosis occurs in 1/200 males and 1/1000 females, which of the following
is true?
a) Males have a lower threshold of liability and a lower proband
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6.3) Type ____ diabetes is HLA-associated and most cases of autosomal ____ mature
onset diabetes of young (MODY) are caused by mutations in any of the six specific
genes.
a) I; Dominant
b) I; Recessive
c) II; Dominant
d) II; Recessive
2) Describe the role of genetics in the creation of integrated and coordinated body
structures and functions.
3) Explain how the osteopathic tenet that structure and function are interrelated applies to
cancer.
James Lamberg
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