[Campbell Biology P.495] Based on the text, which statement is most accurate regarding the s... | Practice Question
Based on the text, which statement is most accurate regarding the study of gene function and epigenetic regulation?
A: Functional studies like 'knocking out' a gene assess its phenotypic impact, while epigenetic changes, which involve DNA and histone modifications, affect gene expression without altering the DNA sequence and can be critical for understanding disease origins, as shown by the Roadmap Epigenomics Project.
B: WD40 domains are found exclusively in prokaryotic proteins, and CRISPR-Cas9 is a method to enhance gene expression.
C: The Roadmap Epigenomics Project primarily aimed to sequence novel gene sequences with unknown functions, similar to the initial challenges faced by *E. coli* genome sequencing.
D: Epigenetic changes permanently alter the DNA nucleotide sequence, leading to heritable diseases, which is why they are easier to study than direct gene mutations.
Explanation
The text states that 'Functional studies usually involve knocking out blocking or disabling the gene in an organism to see how the phenotype is affected.' It also defines epigenetic features as affecting 'gene expression without changing the sequence of nucleotide bases' and notes that the Roadmap Epigenomics Project identified 'that the original tissue in which a cancer arose can be identified in cells of a secondary tumor based on characterization of their epigenomes.'