Question 1:
You have isolated a new human pathogenic bacterium. Using the knowledge you’ve gained in this course, explain steps you would do to:
1. Confirm it’s a new bacterial species (6 marks)
2. Bioinformatically, identify virulence genes of the bacterium (6 marks)
3. Design experiment(s) to confirm the function of one of the virulence genes you identified from step 2 (8 marks)
Question 2:
(A) Define ecotoxicogenomics (3 marks) and provide three examples of ecotoxicogenomics (3 marks). Discuss the three main advantages of ecotoxicogenomics over traditional ecotoxicology (6 marks)
(B) The figure below shows the results of several experiments to determine the differential gene expression in the water flea (Daphnia magna) following exposure to the heavy metals copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn). Write short notes describing these results. In particular, what may you conclude about the mode of action (MOA) of these heavy metals? (8 marks)
Question 3:
You have been hired in a genomics laboratory researching rapid COVID detection kits. Design a qPCR experiment to confirm the presence of COVID19 with emphasis on controls and the benefits of this test over others (20 marks).
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