Scientists Have Been Able to Engineer Young Laboratory Mice to Have

Multiple Choice

Scientists have been able to engineer young laboratory mice to have a defective gene for a particular integrin protein only in epidermal skin cells.These mice develop into adults with severe hair loss and skin blistering.Which statement explains the connection between the mutation and the observed physical problems of the mice?

A) A membrane protein receptor is absent, causing loss of cell signaling.
B) The mice cannot produce any extracellular matrix proteins.
C) Cell-cell communication is lost because of a lost cell junction.
D) Epidermal cells cannot express their genes properly.
E) Epidermal cells cannot connect to the extracellular matrix.