A Microarray Is a Tool Used in Genetic Research to Determine

Multiple Choice

A microarray is a tool used in genetic research to determine the mRNAs being produced in a particular tissue, and their relative level of expression. Known genes can therefore be assayed for their expression in different situations. One use of the technology is in cancer diagnosis and treatment. If a known gene functions as a tumor suppressor, predict which of the following pieces of evidence would be most useful in diagnosis of a cancer due to a mutation in this tumor-suppressor gene.

A) The tissue sample shows a high level of gene expression relative to a control (noncancerous) sample.
B) The tissue sample responds to treatment with a mitosis-promoting compound.
C) The mRNAs for the targeted tumor suppressor sequence are not being produced.
D) The mRNAs for cyclins and kinases show unusually high levels of expression.