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The doublesex gene in fruit flies determines whether they develop into males or females - Scottish Highers Biology - Question 2 - 2023

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The doublesex gene in fruit flies determines whether they develop into males or females. The primary transcript of this gene can produce different mature transcripts... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:The doublesex gene in fruit flies determines whether they develop into males or females - Scottish Highers Biology - Question 2 - 2023

Step 1

Name process A.

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Answer

The process referred to as A is known as alternative RNA splicing. This process allows the primary RNA transcript to be spliced in different ways to produce multiple mature RNA forms.

Step 2

State why the mature transcript shown below could not be produced.

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Answer

The specified mature transcript (Exon 2 Exon 1 Exon 3 Exon 4) could not be produced because the order or sequence of exons has changed, which does not comply with the splicing rules of this gene.

Step 3

Describe the effect of a splice site mutation on a mature transcript and the effect on the protein synthesised.

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Answer

A splice site mutation can lead to the retention of introns or exclusion of exons in the mature transcript. As a result, the protein synthesized may be non-functional, contain different or fewer amino acids, or have an incorrect structure. This can significantly affect the protein’s function and stability.

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