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High School Science/Biology

Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology Student Prompt Booklet New Jersey PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT ALLIANCE

TWEAKING THE GENES Student Prompt Booklet

SCIENCE/BIOLOGY Grade Level High School

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These performance assessments present prompts that are to be used solely for NJ assessment purposes. No prompts may be disclosed or used for any other reason. By accepting delivery of or using these prompts, the recipient acknowledges responsibility for maintaining assessment security that is required by professional standards and applicable state and local policies and regulations governing proper use of tests and for complying with federal copyright law which prohibits unauthorized reproduction and use of copyrighted assessment materials.

1 Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology Student Prompt Booklet

Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology

Prompt Overview and Directions for the Student

You are a geneticist at a biomedical company that is working to develop pharmaceutical products that will improve the health and well-being of people around the world. Your company has developed a new antihistamine that could help many people who suffer from allergies, colds, and the flu. This antihistamine must be thoroughly tested before it can be offered to the public. Before you can actually conduct tests of this antihistamine on people, you must first see if it is safe to test on humans. To do this, you must observe how it reacts with human antibodies.

Through your research you have found out that one specific protein in the blood of horseshoe crabs is very similar to antibodies found in humans. If you can safely test the new antihistamine on the horseshoe crab protein, you will be able to determine if the drug is safe to test on humans. Your biomedical company has developed a genetically-modified horseshoe crab with a life span of 16-17 years and reaches adulthood and sexual maturity in only two (2) years. The company needs at least two thousand (2000) crabs to harvest enough antibody for safety testing. You will be able to use these horseshoe crabs to determine the fastest way to collect enough horseshoe crab protein to begin testing.

There are problems, however. First, the protein is present only when expressed by a recessive gene in the horseshoe crabs. In addition, there are only four (4) adult horseshoe crabs that are available for breeding and all four have different genotypes. Worse still, all of these horseshoe crabs have gene combinations that express the dominant trait in their phenotypes. This, too, is a problem! Why? Remember that the form of the protein that your company needs is the result of the recessive gene. The antibody from the dominant gene is of no use to your company!

2 Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology Student Prompt Booklet

Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology

STUDENT PROMPT

YOUR TASK:

Use the FACTS on the next page to help you complete the following:

 Find a way to breed enough horseshoe crabs through genetic crossings of the original four and their offspring to produce enough horseshoe crab protein needed for the safety testing of the new antihistamine using an efficient process.  Show the Punnett Squares for each mating/genetic crossing. The Punnett Squares must display each genotype with the number of crabs and the percentages of offspring produced in that crossing.  Create a detailed written explanation of the process or steps that you used to solve this problem.

NOTE: There are many ways to solve this problem. Your answers may vary depending upon the process you use. Good luck!

3 Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology Student Prompt Booklet

Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology

STUDENT PROMPT

USE THE FOLLOWING FACTS TO HELP COMPLETE YOUR TASKS:

 The biomedical company needs at least two thousand (2000) horseshoe crabs to collect enough protein for testing.

 The four original horseshoe crabs have these genotypes and sex: HH: Male Hh: Male HH: Female Hh: Female

 The dominant gene for the protein is represented by the capital letter “H”.

 The recessive gene for the protein is represented by the lower-case letter “h.”

 These adult horseshoe crabs produce approximately ten thousand (10,000) eggs in a single mating.

 On average, one thousand (1000) eggs hatch and only one hundred (100) survive to adulthood. One-half of the surviving crabs will be male and one-half will be female.

 The life span of the genetically-modified horseshoe crab is 16-17 years.

 It takes these genetically-modified horseshoe crabs approximately 2 years to reach adulthood and sexual maturity.

 Horseshoe crabs can only mate in adulthood when they reach sexual maturity.

 These horseshoe crabs mate and reproduce only once a year throughout adulthood.

 The protein can be harvested from adult horseshoe crabs only.

4 Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology Student Prompt Booklet TWEAKING THE GENES High School Science/Biology

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Allele - One possible characteristic for a gene.

Antibody - An immunoglobulin; a protein that neutralizes certain toxins, viruses, and bacteria or other foreign cells.

Antihistamine - A drug which is used to reduce or prevent inflammation.

Dominant gene - A form of the gene that is always expressed when present in the genotype.

Gene - Unit of DNA that encodes one or more proteins which may control characteristics or traits of the individual organism.

Genotype - The genetic presence of specific alleles, represented by a letter pair denoting the form of allele in the genotype.

Inheritance - The passing on of genes from one generation to the next.

Punnett Square - A chart which shows all of the possible genetic combinations of offspring that result from the parents in a genetic cross.

Phenotype - The result of the expression of a particular gene; it is determined by the genotype.

Recessive gene - A form of the gene that is expressed only when both recessive alleles are present in the genotype. If a recessive gene is present with a dominant gene, it will be masked and therefore will not be outwardly expressed.

5 Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology Student Prompt Booklet Tweaking the Genes High School Science/Biology

SCORING GUIDE (RUBRIC) 4 3 2 1 t

n  Evidence of complete and  Evidence of complete  Incomplete understanding  Understanding of the topic e

t detailed understanding of understanding of the of the topic or appears incomplete and n

o the important concepts. concepts, but not in great misconceptions about some includes misconceptions. C  All important conceptual detail. concepts.  Important conceptual elements are included:  Most important, but not  Some important elements are inaccurate or - accurate Punnett all conceptual elements are conceptual elements are excluded: Squares; included: excluded: - ineffective Punnett - correct genetic crosses; - accurate Punnett - Punnett Squares may Squares; - accurate percentages of Squares; lack proper expressions; - inappropriate genetic offspring. - correct genetic crosses; - genetic crosses may be crosses; - minor errors in effective, but not - unrelated details. percentages of appropriate; offspring. - errors apparent in determining percentages of offspring. s

s  Application of background  Application of most of the  Application of the  Application of the e

c information and data given background information background information and background information and o

r is clearly and and data given is data given is linked to the data given is incomplete or P appropriately linked to appropriately linked to problem with errors and not present. the problem. the problem. missing information.  Solution may not be  Solution is accurately  Solution is related to the  Solution may not be related present; may be incomplete; related to the data and data and information given, to the data and information or unrelated to the problem. information given, and and supported by given, and may be  Lacks appropriate supported by correct knowledge of biological unreasonable, unrealistic, reasoning to show knowledge of biological processes. or illogical. understanding or process. processes.  Appropriate reasoning is  Appropriate reasoning  Explanation of  Appropriate reasoning is used to describe a timely may be used to describe a relationships is incomplete used to describe a timely and efficient process. process. or missing. and efficient process.  Explanation of  Explanation of  Major errors in  Explanation of relationships is accurate. relationships is vague, calculations. relationships is clear and  Errors in calculations of unclear, and/or inaccurate. accurate. mathematical operations are  Errors in calculations of  Calculations of all evident, but do not interfere mathematical operations are mathematical operations are with meaning. evident and may interfere correct. with meaning. t

a Graphic: Graphic: Graphic: Graphic:

m  Illustration is presented in  Illustration is presented in  Illustration appears  Illustration is incomplete or r

o an organized way that is an organized way that is disorganized and/or may be missing entirely. F easy to understand. easy to understand. incomplete.

Writing: Writing: Writing: Writing:  Solution is presented in a  Solution is presented in an  Solution lacks  Solution is incomplete and/or well-organized, organized, cohesive organization. Errors make it contains multiple errors cohesive, fluent format format. Errors are evident difficult to understand that greatly interfere with with few mechanical but do not interfere with meaning of written work. the meaning of the written errors. meaning of written work. work.

0 – No judgment can be made 6

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