Reference no: EM133285437

Assignment:

Topic 1

Explain how cancer is a genetic disease that involves a multi-step process leading to development of a malignant tumor that is genetically heterogenous. When p53 function is altered, the pace of cancer progression is greatly enhanced. Describe the functions of p53 that keep cancer in check. The human papilloma virus encodes a protein that inhibits p53 function: what might be the benefit to the virus of having such a protein? What are the consequences for human cells infected with such a virus?

Topic 2

Sickle cell disease is caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin-beta subunit (HBB) gene, a point mutation in the HBB polypeptide HBB that replaces glutamic acid with valine at amino acid position 6. Hemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. Red blood cells with normal hemoglobin are smooth and round and glide through blood vessels. In people with sickle cell disease, abnormal (HBB mutant) hemoglobin molecules - hemoglobin S - stick to one another and form long, rod-like structures.

These structures cause red blood cells to become stiff, assuming a sickle shape. Their shape causes these red blood cells to pile up, causing blockages and damaging vital organs and tissue."

Describe how the CRISPR-Cas technology can be used in combination with the endogenous non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway to treat this disorder by mutating the BCL11A (repressor) transcription factor gene. Explain how this latter application of CRISPR-Cas is similar to the original anti-viral mechanism of this system in bacteria.