Scenario Jim Has Become Particularly Interested in the Genetic Basis of of Cancer

question 49

Multiple Choice

Scenario
Jim has become particularly interested in the genetic basis of cancer and has spent considerable time reading published papers about oncogenes. He learned that as early as 1972 researchers suggested that mutations in proto-oncogenes caused by carcinogens can convert the proto-oncogenes to oncogenes. He asked you to answer a couple of questions about this because he did not have a sufficient biology background.
-Jim came across an advertisement for an herbal supplement that claimed to cure lung cancer by targeting precancerous cells in the lungs. If this claim were true, which of the following is a possible mechanism by which it may act?

• A)The supplement would increase mutation rates in proto-oncogenes.
• B)The supplement would inhibit the production of tumor suppressor proteins.
• C)The supplement would stimulate translation of growth factors.
• D)The supplement would restrict the transcription of oncogenes.

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Definitions:

Terrestrial Insects

Insects that live primarily on land rather than in water or air, with adaptations to various terrestrial environments.

Tracheae

A network of small tubes in insects and some arachnids that facilitates respiratory gas exchange directly with body cells.

Gas Exchange

The biological process through which organisms exchange gases with their environment, including the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide.

Choanocytes

Specialized cells found in sponges that use their flagella to create a water flow and trap food particles.