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Study Questions

What three main factors determine a plant’s phenotype?
What was the first plant genome to be sequenced? What was the number of chromosomes in this species? How many protein-coding genes did it contain?
Define the following three regions of chromosomes: centromeres, telomeres, and nucleolar organizers. What do they all have in common?
Compare and contrast two major classes of transposons in plants.
Compare and contrast the various types of polyploidy in plants.
Why are interspecies hybrids usually sterile? What can happen to overcome the sterility of interspecies hybrids? How does the “triangle of U” illustrate this principle?
True or False? Polyploids are always larger than their diploid progenitors. Explain your answer.
What is the endosymbiotic theory of the origin of cytoplasmic genomes? Which organelles are involved?
How do the structures of cytoplasmic genomes differ from those of bacterial and nuclear chromosomes?
Explain how mutations in chloroplast genes can lead to variegation in leaves.
Discuss the mechanisms of transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and posttranslational regulation in eukaryotic gene expression.
Diagram the regulatory regions of a typical eukaryotic promoter and how they interact to regulate gene expression.
Define “epigenetic modifications” in relation to genomic regulation, and give an example.
Discuss the functions and basic mechanisms of the RNA interference pathway. What role does it play in the phenomenon of “cosuppression”?
Describe the ubiquitin pathway.
What is the “microarray technique” and how can it be used to study gene expression?
What is meant by a “reporter gene”?
What is meant by “transformation” and how does Agrobacterium transform a plant cell? What are the various bacterial proteins that participate in the process and what are their functions?
What are the three essential differences between genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and conventionally bred crop varieties?
How was golden rice produced?