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Ch. 11 How Genes Are Controlled
Taylor - Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections 10th Edition
Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan10th EditionCampbell Biology: Concepts & ConnectionsISBN: 9780136538783Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksTaylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan 10th EditionCh. 11 How Genes Are ControlledProblem 10
Chapter 11, Problem 10

It took three sheep to create the clone Dolly: A blackface sheep donated the egg, a whiteface sheep donated the mammary cells from which the nucleus was taken, and a blackface sheep served as surrogate. Assuming face color is genetically determined, what color face did Dolly have?

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1
Identify the source of the genetic material: Understand that the nucleus, which contains the genetic material determining traits such as face color, was taken from a whiteface sheep.
Recognize the role of the egg donor: Note that the egg from the blackface sheep had its nucleus removed, so it did not contribute genetic information regarding face color.
Consider the role of the surrogate: Acknowledge that the surrogate blackface sheep provided the environment for the embryo to develop but did not contribute genetically to traits such as face color.
Combine the information: Since the nucleus containing the genetic material came from a whiteface sheep, and the egg's nucleus was removed, the genetic traits including face color would be determined by the nucleus donor.
Conclude the face color of Dolly: Based on the origin of the nucleus, infer that Dolly, the cloned sheep, had the face color of the nucleus donor, which was white.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Cloning

Cloning is a biotechnological process that creates a genetically identical copy of an organism. In the case of Dolly the sheep, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) was used, where the nucleus from a donor cell is transferred into an egg cell that has had its nucleus removed. This process allows the cloned organism to inherit the genetic material from the donor nucleus.
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Introduction to DNA Cloning

Genetic Determination of Traits

Genetic determination refers to how specific traits, such as physical characteristics, are controlled by genes. In this scenario, the color of the sheep's face is likely determined by the alleles present in the genetic material. Since Dolly was cloned from the mammary cells of a whiteface sheep, her face color would reflect the genetic information from that nucleus.
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Genetic Drift Example 2

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) is a method used in cloning where the nucleus of a somatic cell is transferred into an enucleated egg cell. This technique was pivotal in creating Dolly, as it allowed the genetic material from the whiteface sheep to dictate the traits of the clone, including face color, while the egg donor and surrogate contributed no genetic information.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

All your cells contain proto-oncogenes, which can change into cancer-causing oncogenes. Why do cells possess such potential time bombs?

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Textbook Question

You obtain an egg cell from the ovary of a white mouse and remove the nucleus from it. You then obtain a nucleus from a liver cell from an adult black mouse. You use the methods of nuclear transplantation to insert the nucleus into the empty egg. After some prompting, the new zygote divides into an early embryo, which you then implant into the uterus of a brown mouse. A few weeks later, a baby mouse is born. What color will it be? Why?

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Textbook Question

Mutations can alter the function of the lac operon (see Module 11.1). Predict how the following mutations would affect the function of the operon in the presence and absence of lactose:

a. Mutation of the regulatory gene; repressor cannot bind to lactose.

b. Mutation of operator; repressor will not bind to operator.

c. Mutation of regulatory gene; repressor will not bind to operator.

d. Mutation of promoter; RNA polymerase will not attach to promoter.

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Textbook Question

The success of an experiment often depends on choosing an appropriate organism to study. For example, Gregor Mendel was able to deduce the fundamental principles in genetics in part because of his choice of the pea plant. Reviewing Module 10.1, how did Hershey and Chase take advantage of the unique structural properties of bacteriophage T2 to determine the genetic material?

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Textbook Question

Each scientist works as part of a broader community of scientists, building on the work of others. Scientific advances often depend on the application of new technologies and/or on new techniques applied to an existing problem.

What improvements to existing cloning methods did Wilmut make that allowed him to successfully clone Dolly the sheep from an adult cell?

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Textbook Question
Scientific Thinking The study described in Module 8.10 was purely observational; there were no controlled groups. Imagine that you are an oncologist. Design a hypothesis-driven study to determine whether mastectomy improves breast cancer survival over lumpectomy. What are your control groups? Would such a study be ethical to undertake? Why or why not?
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