A biotechnology firm wants to produce a strain of giant Drosophila so that genet

Question

A biotechnology firm wants to produce a strain of giant Drosophila so that genetics students do not strain their eyes looking at tiny flies. A hormone called shorty substance P (SSP) normally inhibits growth in the flies. The enzyme runtase synthesizes SSP from the compound XSP in a single-stép catalytic reaction. A researcher isolated and sequenced runtase cDNA, but they do not know the location of the runtase gene in the Drosophila genome. Initial attempts to delete, inactivate, or otherwise mutate this gene failed. Therefore, the researcher tries gene augmentation, or adding new genes to a cell. Which of the following gene augmentation methods could produce giant flies? Insert a gene that expresses dsRNA for SSP, which would invoke the RNAi pathway and shut down SSP expression Insert a gene that expresses high amounts of XSP, which would inhibit runtase. Increase runtase gene expression to increase SSP production. Insert a gene that expresses dsRNA for runtase, which would invoke the RNAi pathway O O and shut down runtase expression. Create transgenic flies that express high levels of SSP.

Explanation / Answer

Insert a gene that expresses dsRNA for runtase, which would invoke the RNAi pathway and shut down runtase expression. (option D)

The first option would not be suitable. Even though we try to inhibit the expression of SSP, runtase synthesizes SSP from XSP. We don’t know whether there is a gene for SSP or not. Because SSP is produced from XSP.

Second option- high amounts of XSP need not inhibit runtase. It may lead to high amounts of SSP, which makes the flies even smaller.

Third option- increasing runtase expression increases SSP concentration.

Fifth option- high levels of SSP causes the flies to be even tinier.

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