Lysozyme Is an Enzyme That Breaks Down Bacterial Cell Walls

question 12

Multiple Choice

Lysozyme is an enzyme that breaks down bacterial cell walls and is found in your tears, mucus, and saliva. A mutation occurs in the gene for lysozyme that results in a lysine (a positively charged amino acid) being substituted for an arginine (also a positively charged amino acid) . Do you think that the mutant lysozyme will function similarly to the normal lysozyme?

• A) no, because all changes in protein primary sequence result in functional differences
• B) no, because changing lysine to arginine will cause the protein to denature
• C) yes, because both lysine and arginine are positively charged so the tertiary structure and therefore function should be similar
• D) yes, because protein function stays the same no matter what mutations occur

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Definitions:

Egocentrism

The inability to differentiate between one's own perspective and someone else's perspective.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage of Piaget's theory of cognitive development, where infants interact with the environment and learn through trial and error using their senses and motor skills.

Preoperational Stage

A stage of cognitive development in Piaget's theory, during which children from about 2 to 7 years of age develop and engage in symbolic play but struggle with logic and taking the perspective of others.

Concrete Operational

A stage in cognitive development in which children gain the ability to think logically about concrete events and objects.