Bimm 110 Section 6 Pset

BIMM 110 Molecular Basis of Human Disease TA: George Chen [email protected] OH: Tu 12:30-1:30 Sierra Summit or by appointment Section: W 4:00-4:50 Center 203

Problem Set 6

Announcements: • Section this week will go over problem sets 5 and 6 • This problem set covers lecture 11 1. Mitochondria are used to track the evolution of human populations through maternal lineages. What would one use to track the evolution of human populations through paternal lineages? Does this mean that all Homo sapiens are descended from only two original individuals? Why or why not?

2. List three reasons for why mitochondrial DNA is a “hotspot” for genetic mutation.

3. If a researcher was studying the inheritance of a genetic disease and did not know that it was mitochondrial, what may he or she conclude about the disease's inheritance from a pedigree analysis?

4. What is the molecular basis of MERRF and its physiological effect?

5. How is heteroplasmy associated with penetrance?