Essay questions for Spring 2018
Exam I
Two questions for credit, one as a bonus. All parts of the question must be answered for full credit. You can include experiments discussed in class or others you find online or in the text.
1. Describe the process of in situ hybridization. What are you detecting, what is the purpose and how is it useful in embryology?
2. Describe the process of fertilization in the sea urchin. Include chemo-taxis, egg recognition, and sperm entry. Include at least two experiments that support some aspect of this process.
3. Describe the fast and slow block to polyspermy in sea urchins. Describe how the fast and slow block prevents sperm entry. Include at least two experiments that support some aspect of this process.
Exam 2
1. Describe the experiment involving lacZ and the promoter enhancers of eve-skipped. What is the function of the enhancers? What activates/represses enhancers (be specific)? How do the enhancers determine the location of the even-skipped expression bands.
2. Describe genes and gene interactions that determine the dorsal/ventral regions of the embryo (mesoderm, neural ectoderm, ectoderm, amniosera). Describe how changes in localization of dorsal protein either dorsalizes or ventralizes an embryo.
3. Describe maternal effect genes. Describe an example of a maternal effect gene. Describe how you can experimentally prove a gene is a maternal effect gene.
Exam 3 - because you got these so late pick one essay for credit and two for bonus!
1. Describe how beta-catenin becomes localized to the dorsal side of the amphibian embryo. Include proteins/genes that are involved in the localization.
2. Describe the interactions between hedgehog, wingless and engrailed in establishing compartment boundaries in Drosophila.
3. Describe the development and function of extra-embryonic membranes in the chick.
Two questions for credit, one as a bonus. All parts of the question must be answered for full credit. You can include experiments discussed in class or others you find online or in the text.
1. Describe the process of in situ hybridization. What are you detecting, what is the purpose and how is it useful in embryology?
2. Describe the process of fertilization in the sea urchin. Include chemo-taxis, egg recognition, and sperm entry. Include at least two experiments that support some aspect of this process.
3. Describe the fast and slow block to polyspermy in sea urchins. Describe how the fast and slow block prevents sperm entry. Include at least two experiments that support some aspect of this process.
Exam 2
1. Describe the experiment involving lacZ and the promoter enhancers of eve-skipped. What is the function of the enhancers? What activates/represses enhancers (be specific)? How do the enhancers determine the location of the even-skipped expression bands.
2. Describe genes and gene interactions that determine the dorsal/ventral regions of the embryo (mesoderm, neural ectoderm, ectoderm, amniosera). Describe how changes in localization of dorsal protein either dorsalizes or ventralizes an embryo.
3. Describe maternal effect genes. Describe an example of a maternal effect gene. Describe how you can experimentally prove a gene is a maternal effect gene.
Exam 3 - because you got these so late pick one essay for credit and two for bonus!
1. Describe how beta-catenin becomes localized to the dorsal side of the amphibian embryo. Include proteins/genes that are involved in the localization.
2. Describe the interactions between hedgehog, wingless and engrailed in establishing compartment boundaries in Drosophila.
3. Describe the development and function of extra-embryonic membranes in the chick.