NAME:

_______________________________________ NETWORK ID: __________________________________

SECTION: ____________________________________ TA: ________________________________________________


MCB 252
Exam 3
April 10, 2018
Form A KEY

Choose the BEST answer from the available choices.

Questions 1-5 are worth 2 points each.

1. As discussed in lecture, it is rare to invent novel proteins and machines during the
course of evolution. However, once a protein or machine is invented, it is (relatively)
common to adapt it to different roles.

A. TRUE
B. FALSE

2. As discussed in lecture, during metastasis the primary way tumor cells move from one
part of the body to another is to passively float through the blood or lymphatic system.

A. TRUE
B. FALSE

3. You have found a way to study a single actin filament in vitro. Tropomodulin is
associated with one end of your filament. Assuming the concentration of actin is well
above the critical concentration for both ends and there is an excess of ATP available,
what is happening at the end of the actin filament that is bound by tropomodulin?

A. There is net assembly.
B. There is net disassembly.
C. There is no net assembly or disassembly because the end it capped.

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Myosin II has a greater duty ratio than myosin V.
B. Myosin V has a greater duty ratio than myosin II.

5. As described in lecture, Neanderthals migrated out of Africa before modern day humans
did.

A. TRUE
B. FALSE

1
Questions 6-60 are worth 3 points each.

6. Which of the following is correct with regard to the two statements below?

i = As discussed in lecture, apoptosis occurs as a normal part of development in many
organisms.

ii = As discussed in lecture, apoptosis can occur in response to cellular damage.

A. Both i and ii are TRUE.
B. i is TRUE, and ii is FALSE.
C. i is FALSE, and ii is TRUE.
D. Both i and ii are FALSE.


7. Which of the following is correct with regard to the two statements below?

i = As described in lecture, mutation of the gene that encodes GFP has led to the generation
of many different colors of fluorescent proteins.

ii = Anytime an antibody binds to a protein it inhibits the function of that protein.

A. Both i and ii are TRUE.
B. i is TRUE, and ii is FALSE.
C. i is FALSE, and ii is TRUE.
D. Both i and ii are FALSE.

2
In lecture, we talked about a version of the figure below. Answer the following
question based on this figure and our discussion.

8. Which of the following is correct with regard to the two statements below?

i = Under steady state conditions, the end labeled X has a higher critical concentration than
the end labeled Y.

ii = The end labeled X is the plus end, and the end labeled Y is the minus end.

A. Both i and ii are TRUE.
B. i is TRUE, and ii is FALSE.
C. i is FALSE, and ii is TRUE.
D. Both i and ii are FALSE.


9. You are studying a type of bacteria that has not previously been studied. You discover
that it can move around inside eukaryotic cells more rapidly than expected for
movement by diffusion. You add latrunculin to the cells and that does not alter the rate
of bacterial movement. You next add colchicine and find that the bacteria stop moving.
Which of the following interpretations is most consistent with your observations?

A. Movement of this bacteria is dependent on actin.
B. Movement of this bacteria is dependent on intermediate filaments.
C. Movement of this bacteria is dependent on microtubules.
D. Movement of this bacteria is not dependent on any cytoskeletal filament.
E. Movement of this bacteria is dependent on all three cytoskeletal filaments.

3
The figure below is part of a larger figure we discussed in lecture. The two proteins
shown are actin and profilin. Answer the next question based on this figure and our
discussion.

10. In what way is this figure a misrepresentation of how the reaction that this image was
intended to portray?

A. Actin does not hydrolyze ATP to ADP until it is released from profilin.
B. The inorganic phosphate that is released from this reaction is not shown.
C. This is not ATP hydrolysis; ADP is released from actin and then ATP binds actin.
D. Both A and B
E. None of the above. This figure is accurate as shown.


In lecture, we discussed the image below. Answer the next question based on this
figure and out discussion.

11. Which of the following was unique about this experiment?

A. This was the first time any protein was studied in vitro.
B. This was the first time motor proteins had been shown to move in vitro.
C. This was the first time lasers had been used to study biology.
D. This was the first time the properties of a single protein molecule could be
studied.
E. This was the first time that actin filaments could be seen in a microscope.

4

12. Which of the following filaments is/are polar?

A. Microtubules
B. Actin filaments
C. Intermediate filaments
D. Both A and B
E. All of the above


13. Low doses of colchicine arrest cells in which stage of the cell cycle?

A. G1
B. S
C. G2
D. M


14. As discussed in lecture, there are approximately how many different types of cells in
humans (choose the best/closest answer)?

A. 50
B. 200
C. 700
D. 1,700
E. 7,000





















5
15. The diagram below was discussed in lecture. What type of microscope is shown in this
diagram?

A. A phase contrast microscope
B. A bright field microscope
C. A confocal microscope
D. A fluorescence microscope
E. An electron microscope






















6
16. In lecture we discussed the two experiments corresponding to the figures below.

Figure 1 Figure 2

The data plotted in figure 1 corresponds to which “stage” of figure 2?

A. A
B. B
C. C
D. All of the above
E. None of the above


17. In lecture, we talked about an experiment in which ActA was attached to a plastic bead.
Which of the following could be concluded from that experiment?

A. That ActA is the only lysteria protein needed for movement
B. That ActA is a motor protein
C. That ActA is an ATPase
D. Both A and B
E. All of the above (A, B, and C)


18. Which of the following proteins “travel” with the plus end of the cytoskeletal filament
that they are associated with?

A. Formin
B. EB-1
C. thymosin β4
D. Both A and B
E. All of the above

7
The three images below are part of a larger figure that we discussed in lecture.
Answer the next question based on this figure.

19. Match the image with the cell type or location.

Cell type or location:

i = sarcomere
ii = microvilli
iii = red blood cell

A. i = X, ii = Y, iii = Z
B. i = X, ii = Z, iii = Y
C. i = Y, ii = Z, iii = X
D. i = Z, ii = Y, iii = X
E. i = Z, ii = X, iii = Y


20. Family members of which of the following proteins are contained in at least some types
of chromatin remodeling complexes?

A. Actin
B. Keratin
C. Tubulin
D. Both B and C
E. All of the above

8
21. The image below was described in lecture. What was learned from this experiment?

A. The distance of one full turn of the actin helix
B. The distance a single sarcomere contracts
C. The distance a single myosin II head moves along an actin filament
D. The distance a single myosin V head moves along an actin filament
E. Both A and B


























9
Answer the next two questions based on the diagram below and on the following
information.

The diagram above is a reaction starting with monomers of actin or tubulin dimers and the
appropriate nucleotide and ions as needed for the particular polymerization reaction. The
amount of ATP or GTP in the reaction is great enough that it is not exhausted during the
time frame of the experiment diagrammed here. In the case of tubulin, microtubule
organizing centers are added to the reaction at time 0 to nucleate filament assembly.

22. If the diagram above is for a reaction involving actin, which of the following statements
most accurately describes what is occurring in this reaction?

A. There is no net change in the length of individual filaments from time point X to time
point Z.
B. There is no net change in the number of filaments from time point X to time point Z.
C. There is a decrease in the number of filaments from time point X to time point Z
D. There is an increase in the number of filaments from time point X to time point Z.
E. Both A and B.


23. If the diagram above is for a reaction involving tubulin, which of the following
statements most accurately describes what is occurring in this reaction?

A. There is no net change in the length of individual filaments from time point X to time
point Z.
B. There is no net change in the number of filaments from time point X to time point Z.
C. There is a decrease in the number of filaments from time point X to time point Z
D. There is an increase in the number of filaments from time point X to time point Z.
E. Both A and B.

10
The figure below was discussed in lecture. The next two questions refer to this
figure.

24. What type of cell is labeled “X”?

A. An apoptotic cell
B. A terminally differentiated cell
C. A cancer cell
D. A stem cell
E. None of the above are correct.


25. What type of cell is labeled “Y”?

A. An apoptotic cell
B. A terminally differentiated cell
C. A cancer cell
D. A stem cell
E. None of the above are correct.


26. You wish to put a cloned gene into cells in tissue culture or into all the cells in an
organism. In which of the following techniques does your cloned gene get inserted into
a chromosome?

A. Transformation
B. Transfection
C. Creating a transgenic animal
D. Both A and C are correct.
E. All of the above are correct.



11
27. Which of the following is correct with regard to the two statements below?

i = A polyclonal antibody recognizes more epitopes than a monoclonal antibody.

ii = A monoclonal antibody is more likely to have blocking activity than a polyclonal
antibody.

A. Both i and ii are TRUE.
B. i is TRUE, and ii is FALSE.
C. i is FALSE, and ii is TRUE.
D. Both i and ii are FALSE.


28. You are the first person to purify actin from Bonobos, a type of chimpanzee. You wish
to characterize the properties of your newly purified actin. You carry out a reaction in
which you start with a known concentration of actin monomers in the presence of
Mg++ and ADP (there is no ATP in your reaction). You let the reaction go to steady
state and measure the concentration of G-actin remaining in solution. Assuming your
starting concentration of G-actin was above the critical concentration, what can you
learn from this experiment?

A. The critical concentration that is expected to correspond to the plus end of cellular actin
filaments
B. The critical concentration that is expected to correspond to the minus end of
cellular actin filaments
C. You will be able to determine the concentration range in which Bonobo actin treadmills.
D. You will not be able to infer anything about cellular actin because you will form a
homogeneous polymer, whereas, the cellular polymer is not homogeneous.
E. You will not learn anything from this experiment because actin filaments won’t assemble
in the absence of ATP.


29. You carry out two in vitro actin polymerization reactions with a single isoform of
purified human actin, Mg++ and an excess of ATP. The two tubes contain different initial
concentrations of G-actin. You allow both reactions to proceed to steady state and
measure the % of actin that is in filamentous actin polymers. In the first reaction you
find that 60% of the actin is F-actin and in the second reaction you find that 80% of the
actin is in F-actin. Which of the following statements is FALSE at the time you make
your measurement?

A. The actin filaments in both reactions will be treadmilling.
B. The two reactions will have different concentrations of G-actin.
C. There will be no net growth of actin filaments in either tube.
D. The tube with 80% of the actin in F-actin had a higher initial concentration of G-actin
than the tube with 60% of the actin in F-actin.
E. None of the above are correct.

12

30. You add latrunculin to motile cells and find that the leading edge disappears, and the
cells stop moving. What can you conclude from these observations?

A. Actin polymerization is necessary for movement.
B. Actin polymerization is sufficient for movement.
C. Actin polymerization is necessary and sufficient for movement.
D. Actin polymerization is not involved in movement.


31. Which step in actin filament formation is regulated by ActA?

A. Nucleation
B. Elongation
C. Capping
D. Treadmilling
E. Disassembly


32. The actin flexing model is one model proposed to explain what?

A. How actin polymerization can move a membrane
B. How sarcomeres recover from hyperextension
C. How sarcomeres return to the relaxed state after contraction ends
D. How branched actin filaments are formed
E. Both B and C


33. You have found that a particular myosin that is involved in cell movement is
phosphorylated by the Rho signal transduction pathway. Similarly, you find that
Arp2/3 is also phosphorylated by the Rho signal transduction pathway. Assuming that
phosphorylation regulates the activity of your myosin and Arp2/3, which of the
following is most likely?

A. The phosphorylated form is the active form of both your myosin and Arp2/3.
B. The phosphorylated form is the active form of your myosin and the inactive form
of Arp2/3.
C. The phosphorylated form is the inactive form of your myosin and the active form of
Arp2/3.
D. The phosphorylated form is the inactive form of both your myosin and Arp2/3.

13
34. As long as the appropriate energy is available and the concentration of the components
is high enough that filament assembly can occur, which of the following assembly
reactions is/are best described as a steady state reaction rather than an equilibrium
reaction?

A. Actin filament assembly
B. Intermediate filament assembly
C. Microtubule assembly
D. Both A and C
E. All of the above

35. What do ERM family members do?

A. Bundle actin filaments in microvilli
B. Link actin filaments together in stress fibers
C. Link the actin cytoskeleton to integral membrane proteins
D. Both A and B
E. All of the above

36. Which protein acts as a spring or elastic band to keep the myosin thick filaments
positioned in the center of the sarcomere?

A. Nebulin
B. Tropomyosin
C. Troponin
D. Tropomodulin
E. Titin

37. During the evolution of the myosin family, which of the following parameter(s) of
motor function have become specialized for different tasks?

A. Duty ratio
B. Step size
C. Tail interactions
D. Both A and B are correct.
E. All of the above are correct.

38. As discussed in lecture the number of different human genes that encode cytoplasmic
intermediate filaments compared to the number of cell types in humans is such that it is
consistent with a model in which any given cytoplasmic filament is produced in only 3
different cell types.

A. TRUE
B. FALSE

14
39. Which of the following proteins appeared in the fossil record at the time that animals
with soft exteriors appeared?

A. Actin
B. Myosin V
C. Myosin II
D. Keratins
E. Lamins


40. Given our discussion of the evolution of the intermediate filaments, which of the
following is most likely the role of the first family member?

A. To provide energy for cell movement
B. To act as a roadway for motor proteins
C. To provide structural support for the plasma membrane
D. To provide structural support for the mitochondrial membrane
E. To provide structural support for the nuclear membrane


41. Which types of cytoskeletal filaments undergo dynamic instability?

A. Actin filaments
B. Intermediate filaments
C. Microtubules
D. Both A and B
E. All of the above


42. In lecture, we talked about modular proteins that are comprised of a series of protein
domains. Which of the following are properties associated with such domains?

A. One exon often/typically codes for one complete domain and nothing else.
B. Protein domains typically fold into their correct three-dimensional shape independently
of each other.
C. Modular proteins typically contain only two domains
D. Both A and B
E. Both A and C

15
In lecture, we discussed a version of the image below. Answer the next question
based on this figure and our discussion.

43. Match the germ layer (X, Y, and Z) with the correct term:

i = mesoderm
ii = ectoderm
iii = endoderm

A. X = i, Y = ii, Z = iii
B. X = i, Y = iii, Z =ii
C. X = ii, Y = i, Z = iii
D. X = ii, Y = iii, Z = i
E. X = iii, Y = i, Z = ii

16
44. In order to determine the structure of a protein by X-ray crystallography you need
which of the following?

A. The protein of interest needs to be purified.
B. You need to know the amino acid sequence of the protein of interest.
C. You need to know the approximate shape of the protein from electron microscopy.
D. Both A and B
E. All of the above (A, B, and C)


Answer the next 2 questions based on the following information.

You have purified an uncharacterized actin protein found in mouse macrophage (a motile
type of blood cell). You start with an in vitro solution of monomers of your purified protein
in a buffer that lacks ATP and Mg++. The concentration of your monomers in the solution is
100 μM. You perform two separate experiments on different samples of your actin solution.
In the first you add Mg++ and AMPPNP (as the only nucleotide) to your solution and allow
it to go to steady state. At equilibrium 95% of the actin is F-actin. You repeat the same
experiment only this time you add Mg++ and ADP (as the only nucleotide). At steady state
you find that 80% of the actin is F-actin.

45. What is the critical concentration of the plus end of filaments formed by your newly
identified actin?

A. 1 μM
B. 2 μM
C. 5 μM
D. 10 μM
E. 50 μM


46. What is the critical concentration of the minus end of filaments formed by your newly
identified actin?

A. 1 μM
B. 2 μM
C. 5 μM
D. 10 μM
E. 20 μM

17
47. You are watching Lysteria moving around inside two cells. You inject one cell with
phalloidin. What are you most likely to expect to see happen in the injected cell?

A. The comet tails will become longer in the injected cell than the non-injected cell.
B. The comet tails will become shorter in the injected cell than the non-injected cell.
C. The bacteria in the injected cell will move faster than in the non-injected cell.
D. The bacteria in the injected cell will stop moving.
E. Both B and D


48. We talked about the diagram below when we talked about the role of actin in
endocytosis. During that discussion, we talked about a feature of this diagram that is
wrong. Which answer best describes what is wrong about this figure?

A. Actin does not, in fact, play a role in endocytosis.
B. Linear actin filaments, not branched actin filaments, are involved in endocytosis.
C. The plus ends of the actin filaments, not the minus ends, are associated with the
endocytic vesicle.
D. Formin, not the Arp2/3 complex, is involved in nucleation.
E. Both B and D










18
A version of the diagram shown below was discussed in lecture. Answer the next
question based on our discussion and this figure.

49. Which end of the actin monomer shown is the plus end?

A. The end labeled A
B. The end labeled B
C. The end labeled C
D. The end labeled D
E. None of the above


50. Match the term below with the correct description.

i = Cdc42
ii = Rho
iii = Rac

X = This Ras family member is part of the signaling pathway that results in the formation of
lamellipodia.
Y = This Ras family member is part of the signaling pathway that results in the formation of
filopodia.
Z = This Ras family member is part of the signaling pathway that results in the formation of
stress fibers.

A. i = X, ii = Y, iii = Z
B. i = X, ii =Z, iii = Y
C. i = Y, ii = X, iii = Z
D. i = Y, ii = Z, iii = X
E. i = Z, ii = X, iii = Y




19
 51. In lecture, we discussed the fact that actin is highly conserved. Which of the following
was part of the rationale given for why it makes sense that actin is highly conserved?

A. Actin is an ATPase.
B. Actin is found in many organisms.
C. Many protein families interact with actin.
D. Actin is critical for muscle function.
E. All of the above

52. Which step in the ATPase cycle of myosin II results in the power stroke?

A. Binding of ATP to the myosin head
B. Hydrolysis of ATP to ADP + Pi
C. Release of Pi from the myosin head
D. Release of ADP from the myosin head
E. None of the above are correct.

53. You perform a sliding filament assay. You have added stable actin filaments and
myosin to the microscope slide, but have not yet added any ATP. At this time in your
experiment, which of the following is TRUE?

A. The myosin heads will not be bound to the filaments.
B. The myosin heads will be bound to actin filaments and WILL be moving the filaments.
C. The myosin heads will be bound to actin filaments but will NOT be moving the
filaments.

54. Which region of myosin family members determine(s) the step size?

A. Head
B. Lever arm
C. Tail
D. Both A and B
E. Both A and C

55. You have cloned the gene that encodes a myosin V family member. You make a
mutation in that gene that results in a myosin V protein that has a duty ratio that is half
that of the wild-type protein. Your mutation has no other effect on the function of the
protein. How do you expect the behavior of your mutant protein to be different from
the wild-type protein?

A. The mutant protein will move half as fast as the wild-type protein.
B. The mutant protein will move twice as fast as the wild-type protein.
C. The mutant protein will fall off the actin filament more frequently than the wild-
type protein.
D. The mutant protein will move farther along the actin filament before falling off than the
wild-type.
E. Both B and D
20
56. Which protein acts as a ruler to specify the length of the actin filaments found in
sarcomeres?

A. CapZ
B. Titin
C. Tropomodulin
D. Nebulin
E. Telethonin


57. A version of the diagram below was presented in lecture as part of our discussion on
laser tweezers and optical traps. In this diagram, which direction will the bead move?

A. North
B. South
C. East
D. West

21

58. The “poisoned polymer” model can (most specifically) explain the action of which type
of allele(s)?

A. The allele(s) of tumor suppressor genes that contribute to cancer
B. The allele(s) of oncogenes genes that contribute to cancer
C. Loss of function alleles
D. Dominant negative alleles
E. Both A and C


59. As discussed in lecture, most/all non-African humans have inherited alleles of specific
genes from Neanderthals. The Neanderthal alleles that are retained in modern humans
were thought to be positively selected for their role in the biology of which
tissue/organ?

A. Muscle
B. Brain
C. Skin
D. Liver
E. Stomach


60. Which of the following proteins has microtubule severing activity?

A. Kinesin-13
B. Katanin
C. EB-1
D. Both A and B
E. All of the above (A, B, and C)

-END OF EXAM-

22