MCB2210 MAY SESSION

51. The Critical concentration (Cc) of a newly-discovered cytoskeletal polymer is 2.3 at one
end and 7.7 at the other end. These polymers will
a. exhibit dynamic instability when present at 3
b. have a critical concentration of 7.7 at the plus end
c. undergo treadmilling when present at 6
d. shrink from both ends when present at 8
e. grow from both ends when present at 5
52. Suppose you have purified a population of actin filaments, treated them with red-fluorescent
phalloidin, and added them to a test tube containing green-fluorescent actin subunits under
conditions that strongly favor polymerization. After a few minutes, you fix the filaments to a
slide and view the fluorescence. What would be the pattern of green labeling?
a. both ends will be labeled green, and the label will be the same length at each end
b. both ends will be labeled green, but the label will be longer at the plus end
c. both ends will be labeled green, but the label will be longer at the minus end
d. all of the filaments will depolymerize, so no fluorescence will be observed
e. the entire filament will be labeled green, and it will have no red fluorescence

F-actin fluorescence

53. The pyrene-actin assembly assay below shows the amount of F-actin formed from G-actin
over time in the presence of the Arp2/3 complex (solid line). When this experiment is repeated
with G-actin, Arp2/3 complex, and unknown additional proteins, a different curve is obtained
(dashed line). Which proteins are likely responsible for this change?
1.0
1.0

0.8
0.8
0.6
0.6
0.4
0.4
0.2
0.2
0.0
0.0

51

500

101

1000

151

1500

2000

Time (s)
a. a mixture of Cdc42 and Rac
b. a mixture of CapZ and alpha-actinin
c. a mixture of cofilin and gelsolin
d. a mixture of auto-inhibited formins
e. a mixture of WASP and Cdc42

54. A research lab at UConn is testing a new drug that blocks the activity of formin proteins.
When this drug is added to human osteoblasts under conditions that favor collagen secretion (i.e.,
in the presence of vitamin C), the collagen folds into a triple helix and accumulates in the Golgi
apparatus. How would you interpret these results?
a. collagen does not fold properly in the presence of the drug
b. linear actin assembly is important for collagen trafficking out of the Golgi
c. linear actin assembly is important for Golgi-to-ER collagen trafficking
d. branched actin assembly is important for ER-to-Golgi collagen trafficking
e. branched actin assembly is important for collagen trafficking out of the Golgi
55. Suppose you have just polymerized microtubules from a 1ml solution of tubulin subunits in
vitro and the reaction has reached steady state. What do you expect would happen if you then
diluted the microtubule solution into a 10ml pool of buffer (that does not contain any additional
protein)?
a. microtubule stabilization
b. microtubule growth
c. microtubule shrinkage
d. microtubule severing
e. microtubule degradation by proteases
56. If you microinject red-fluorescent tubulin subunits into a cell during interphase and fix them
after a few minutes, how would the microtubules be labeled?
a. none of the microtubules will be labeled red
b. only the () ends will be labeled red
c. only the (+) ends will be labeled red
d. the () and (+) ends will be labeled red, and the label at each end will be equivalent
e. the entire length of the all the microtubules will be labeled red
57. A protein complex called the ____ nucleates cytoplasmic microtubules, while motile cilia
and flagella originate at a ____.
a. centriole, centromere
b. -TURC, basal body
c. centromere, centriole
d. basal body, -TURC
e. basal body, centrosome
58. ParM is a cytoskeletal protein expressed in some E.coli bacteria. (1) ParM is non-polar, (2)
ParM has ATPase activity, and (3) ParM forms polymers that exhibit dynamic instability. How
do these three properties compare to those found in eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins?
a. it is 1- like tubulin, 2- like actin, 3- like tubulin
b. it is 1- like intermediate filament proteins, 2- like tubulin, 3- like tubulin
c. it is 1- like intermediate filament proteins, 2- like tubulin, 3- like actin
d. it is 1- like actin, 2- like actin, 3- like actin
e. it is 1- like intermediate filament proteins, 2- like actin, 3- like tubulin

59. All of the following statements about cytoskeletal filaments and motor proteins are true
except for one. Which statement is false?
a. all cytoskeletal motor proteins use ATP hydrolysis to power movement
b. actin filaments are polar and associate with motor proteins
c. microtubules are polar and associate with motor proteins
d. intermediate filaments are non-polar and do not associate with motor proteins
e. some cytoskeletal motor proteins use GTP hydrolysis to power movement
60. A new organism that has only one motor protein was discovered in a water fountain in the
Biology/Physics Building. To characterize its activity, you coat glass coverslips with the motor
protein so that its tail is stuck to the glass, while its head is exposed. You then treat the coverslips
with actin filaments and microtubules and find that the actin filaments move with their (+) ends
leading and that microtubules move with their (-) ends leading. This motor behaves like a
a. plus-end directed myosin and a minus-end directed kinesin
b. minus-end directed myosin and a plus-end directed kinesin
c. plus-end directed myosin and a plus-end directed kinesin
d. minus-end directed myosin and a minus-end directed kinesin
e. macromolecule that moves intermediate filaments
61. Specialized cells called margaritacytes respond to changes in ethanol (EtOH) concentration
by reorganizing their detoxifying granules along microtubules as shown in the figure below.
Imagine that you shift cells from media containing low levels of EtOH to media with high levels
of EtOH. Which type of drug would prevent the expected movement of granules in the cell?

a. a drug that increases the activity of an unconventional myosin

b. a drug like taxol, which stabilizes microtubules
c. a drug that blocks the activity of cytoplasmic dynein
d. a drug that blocks the activity of conventional kinesin
e. a drug that blocks the activity of an unconventional myosin
62. Structures such as ______ contain actin bundling proteins, while ______ are associated with
proteins involved in actin filament branching.
a. lamellipodia, stress fibers
b. endosomes, lamellipodia
c. lamellipodia, filopodia
d. stress fibers, microvilli
e. filopodia, endosomes

63. An undergraduate student observes the directed motion of fluorescent COPI- and COPIIcoated vesicles within a cell under different conditions. She notices that vesicle movement stops
when nocodazole is added to the culture medium, but resumes when nocodazole is removed from
the medium. Which conclusion makes the most sense?
a. normal movement was driven by diffusion
b. normal movement was driven by a processive plus-end directed dynein motor protein
c. normal movement was driven by processive kinesin or dynein motor proteins
d. normal movement was driven by a non-processive myosin II motor protein
e. normal movement stopped because nocodazole killed the cell
64. During actin assembly in membrane protrusions, which of these five steps occurs second?
a. a Rho-family GTPase is activated
b. the Arp2/3 complex becomes activated
c. a WASP-family protein is activated
d. actin filament growth is stopped by CapZ
e. an actin filament elongates
65. Which of the following statements about cell connections is false?
a. some adhesions result from protein-protein interactions between cells and ECM
b. some adhesions result from protein-carbohydrate interactions between different
cell types
c. some adhesion proteins are linked to intermediate filaments
d. some adhesion proteins are linked to F-actin
e. some adhesion proteins are linked to microtubules
66. Which specialized attachment(s) allow(s) epithelial cells to resist stress and act as an
occluding barrier layer that normally prevents penetration of bacteria into deeper tissue?
a. tight junctions
b. desmosomes
c. gap junctions
d. adherens junctions
e. a, b, and c all act as epithelial barriers
67. Which of the following statements about cilia is true?
a. all cilia and flagella are sensory organelles
b. cilia and flagella both lack microtubule-based axonemes
c. intraflagellar transport (IFT) of vesicles can be driven by ciliary dynein
d. primary cilia lack ciliary dynein and are non-motile
e. flagella lack cytoplasmic dynein and kinesin
68. Which of the following events happens third in the current model for fibroblast motility?
a. loss of integrin adhesion at the rear of the cell
b. protrusion of lamellipodia and filopodia at the leading edge
c. forward translocation of the cell body
d. adhesion of integrins to the ECM beneath the lamellipodium
e. actin nucleation by the Arp2/3 complex and formins

69. Fibroblasts generally have a perinuclear Golgi and peripheral ER. Integrins are expressed by
fibroblasts and are found in transport vesicles of the conventional secretory pathway. After
vesicle budding from the ER, what would allow normal transport of integrins to the plasma
membrane?
a. vesicles would be carried by kinesin-I only
b. vesicles would be carried by cytoplasmic dynein only
c. integrins in transport vesicles would not reach the plasma membrane
d. vesicles would be carried by cytoplasmic dynein followed by kinesin-I
e. vesicles would be carried by kinesin-I followed by cytoplasmic dynein
70. A student identifies a new cell type that migrates very fast when the cells are grown in
culture dishes. She is an expert in wound-healing assays and wants to test a role for specific
GTPases in this process using RNA interference (RNAi). She finds that wounds close completely
after 8h when using control cells, but that depletion of RhoA, Rac1, or Cdc42 gives the
surprising results shown below. What conclusion can be drawn from these data?

a. RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 are each important for migration by this cell line
b. Only RhoA and Rac1 are important for migration by this cell line
c. Only RhoA is important for cell migration by this cell line
d. RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 are important for migration by all cell lines
e. Only Cdc42 is important for migration by this cell line
71. Which of the following events happens fourth during neutrophil extravasation?
a. the neutrophil crawls between endothelial cells towards the underlying tissue
b. the neutrophil binds to selectins on endothelial cells
c. integrins are activated in the neutrophil
d. the neutrophil binds tightly to the endothelium and stops rolling
e. the neutrophil begins to roll on the endothelial surface
72. Which of the following events happens third during muscle contraction?
a. Calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum
b. the myosin II power stroke
c. tropomyosin shifts position on the actin helix
d. myosin II heads bind to the actin filament
e. secretory vesicles are exocytosed from a motor neuron

73. Which of the following statements about the immunological synapse is false?
a. its formation involves rearrangements of the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons
b. it is a focal point for tyrosine kinase signaling
c. it is a focal point for endocytosis and exocytosis
d. its formation involves cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)
e. its formation involves internalization of autophagy vacuoles
74. The structure that contains two barrel-shaped centrioles surrounded by an amorphous area of
electron-dense pericentriolar material is called a
a. pericentromere
b. kinteochore
c. centromere
d. centrosome
e. both c & d
75. Among these five M-phase events, which happens third?
a. nuclear envelope breakdown
b. spindle assembly checkpoint
c. microtubule aster separation
d. the contractile ring constricts the cleavage furrow
e. chromosome movement to poles and spindle pole separation
76. Which is the second event of those listed?
a. de-phosphorylation of lamin A
b. centrosome migration and aster assembly
c. separation of sister chromatids
d. chromosome capture and congression
e. centrosome duplication
77. A graduate student wants to test whether beads coated with various biomolecules can
generate microtubule spindles in Xenopus egg extracts. Which of the following beads would be
likely to form spindles in extracts?
a. beads coated with chromatin
b. beads coated with RanGEF
c. either a or b
d. beads coated with RanGAP
e. either a or d
78. Which of these is an abnormality that can delay the metaphase-to-anaphase transition?
a. attachment of both kinetochores to microtubules from the same spindle pole
b. a failure of one kinetochore to attach to spindle microtubules
c. a mutation that inhibits the activity of the APC
d. a lack of tension at the kinetochore
e. all of these could delay progress

79. In anaphase A, kinetochore MTs ______. In anaphase B, polar microtubules ______.

a. slide, slide
b. shrink, shrink
c. shrink, slide
d. slide, shrink
e. grow, stabilize
80. Which of the following forces does NOT occur during M-phase of the cell cycle?
a. a balance of poleward microtubule flux and a polar ejection force
b. pulling or pushing forces from dynein and kinesin motor proteins
c. a contractile force from F-actin and myosin II beneath the cleavage furrow
d. forces from polymerization and depolymerization of microtubules
e. all of the above forces actually DO occur during M-phase
81. Assume that the total length of the cell cycle of one of your skin cells is 24 h when grown in
a culture flask. If M-phase is 2 h, S-phase is 8 h, and G1 is 4 h: How long is G2? Cytokinesis?
a. less than 2 hours
b. 2 hours
c. 4 hours
d. 9 hours
e. 10 hours
82. ___ is an enzyme that interacts with growth factor receptors and phosphorylates lipids to
trigger signaling cascades that influence cell growth, while ___ is a type of enzyme that
phosphorylates protein targets that act to drive cell cycle transitions.
a. PI 3-kinase, mTOR
b. PI 3-kinase, CDK
c. PI 3-kinase, cyclin
d. PI(3,4,5)P3, PI 3-kinase
e. PI(3,4,5)P3, CDK
83. How do cells regulate the concentrations of cyclins and other key cell cycle proteins?
a. They adjust their rates of synthesis at different points in the cell cycle
b. They adjust their rates of degradation at different points in the cell cycle
c. They adjust their rates of secretion at different points in the cell cycle
d. They adjust their rates of nucleation at different points in the cell cycle
e. both a & b are true
84. What do CDKs that are activated just before the end of G2 do to initiate the next phase of
the cell cycle?
a. They phosphorylate substrates needed for the cell to enter mitosis
b. They de-phosphorylate substrates needed for the cell to enter mitosis
c. They ubiquitinate substrates needed for the cell to enter mitosis
d. They phosphorylate lipids needed for the cell to enter mitosis
e. They act as proteases to degrade proteins that inhibit mitosis

85. Consider the following figure describing a mitotic cyclin-CDK complex in yeast:

In this scheme, the UConn kinase can add an inhibitory phosphate to a specific amino acid in
the CDK, while a Husky phosphatase can de-phosphorylate the same amino acid in the CDK.
Given this information, which of these statements would be true?
a. if UConn kinase is overactive, the cell will enter mitosis too soon
b. if Husky phosphatase is overactive, the cell will grow unusually large in G2
c. if UConn kinase is inactivated, the cell will grow unusually large in G2
d. if Husky phosphatase is blocked by a drug, the daughter cells will be unusually small
e. if UConn kinase is blocked by a drug, the cell will enter mitosis too soon
86. In the scenario depicted below, what would happen if the p16 protein was lost?

a. Rb would not be phosphorylated

b. Rb would repress DNA synthesis
c. CDK4 would be an inactive kinase
d. Cells would be stuck in G1
e. Cells would enter S-phase prematurely

87. A graduate student wants to perform a genetic screen to identify cellular factors that promote
cancer-like properties (transformation) in a cultured mammalian cell line. She designs a screen in
which each cell receives a different small interfering RNA (siRNA) that will prevent that gene
from being expressed in the cell. This screen will likely identify which type of gene(s)?
a. tumor-suppressor genes
b. caretaker genes
c. proto-oncogenes
d. a & b
e. a, b, & c
88. A graduate student wants to perform a genetic screen to identify cellular factors that promote
cancer-like properties (transformation) in a cultured mammalian cell line. She designs a screen in
which each cell receives a plasmid that will express a different gene at abnormally high levels in
the cell. This screen will likely identify which type of gene(s)?
a. caretaker genes
b. tumor-suppressor genes
c. proto-oncogenes
d. a & b
e. a, b, & c
89. Somatic cells can be reprogrammed to a stem cell like state by forcing the expression of 4
pluripotency genes in these cells. The resulting induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells)
resemble cancer cells in several ways. Why might iPS cells have cancer-like properties?
a. one of the reprogramming factors is c-myc, a proto-oncogene
b. one of the reprogramming factors is c-src, a tyrosine kinase
c. one of the reprogramming factors is Ras, a proto-oncogene
d. one of the reprogramming factors is Rb, a tumor-suppressor gene
e. one of the reprogramming factors nucleates actin in the somatic nucleus
90. Stem cells are defined by their capacity to
a. self-renew
b. differentiate into more specialized cell types
c. remain in a terminally differentiated state
d. both a & b are true
e. a, b, & c are all true
91. Suppose you discover a protein that you believe promotes pluripotency. How could you
show this experimentally?
a. in a somatic cell nuclear transfer experiment, deplete it from eggs to see if nuclear
reprogramming becomes less efficient
b. express it in somatic cells with the four primary pluripotency factors to see if
you can generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells more efficiently
c. in a somatic cell nuclear transfer experiment, deplete it from eggs to see if nuclear
reprogramming becomes more efficient
d. both a & b would be a good way to show this
e. both b & c would be a good way to show this

92. What has happened to your telomeres since May 12th, when you began taking Cell Biology?
a. they have gotten shorter in my stem cells.
b. they have gotten shorter in my somatic cells.
c. they have gotten longer in my senescing cells
d. they have gotten longer in my necrotic cells
e. they are the same length in all of my cells
93. Many bacterial pathogens that enter mammalian host cells via endocytosis or phagocytosis
go on to live, grow, and divide within the mammalian host cells. How do they accomplish this?
a. some bacteria lyse the vacuole and replicate in the cytosol
b. some bacteria replicate in a vacuole by preventing fusion with lysosomes
c. some bacteria replicate within the nucleus by using DNA as a carbon source
d. both a & b are true
e. none of the above bacteria cannot grow or replicate within cells this is a
trick question
94. Lab strains of E.coli do not invade cultured mammalian fibroblasts (e.g., NIH3T3 cells).
However, it is possible to convert a lab strain of E.coli into one that can enter NIH3T3 cells by
introducing a plasmid that encodes a single virulence factor into E.coli. Which of the following
manipulations would allow lab E.coli to enter NIH3T3 cells? (Think critically.)
a. E.coli will enter NIH3T3 cells if you engineer it to express the Rickettsia
membrane protein, Sca2
b. E.coli will enter NIH3T3 cells if you engineer it to express the EHEC effector
protein that activates WASP-family actin nucleation factors, EspFU
c. E.coli will enter NIH3T3 cells if you engineer it to express the Yersinia
membrane protein, invasin
d. E.coli will enter NIH3T3 cells if you engineer it to express the Salmonella
effector protein that acts as a GAP, SptP
e. E.coli will enter NIH3T3 cells if you engineer it to express the Salmonella
effector protein that acts as a GEF, SopE
95. Which statement is false?
a. viruses can cause cancer by inactivating p53 and Rb
b. viruses cannot cause cancer
c. viruses can transit through the secretory machinery on their way to exiting cells
d. viruses can cause cancer by hijacking proto-oncogenes and altering them
e. viruses can be transported by microtubule-associated motor proteins in cells
96. ____ are the ____ enzymes that drive the process of apoptosis.
a. Separases, protease
b. Caspases, protease
c. Cdc25 & Cdc14, phosphatase
d. Caspases, protein kinase
e. Telomerases, reverse transcriptase

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97. Which is NOT a direct advantage of having apoptotic cell death pathways in multicellular
organisms?
a. elimination of cells with the potential to cause cancer
b. elimination of misplaced cells by developmental quality-control processes
c. elimination of self-reactive immune cells that could cause autoimmunity
d. elimination of functional neuronal cells
e. elimination of cells that are infected with a virus
98. Multiple signaling pathways can lead to apoptosis. Which of the following statements is
false?
a. intrinsic pathways of programmed cell death involve a release of
mitochondrial contents into the cytoplasm
b. intrinsic pathways of programmed cell death can be triggered in target
cells when these cells are exposed to cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs)
c. intrinsic pathways of cell death called necrosis are part of quality
control during development
d. extrinsic pathways of programmed cell death involve binding of
extracellular molecules to cell surface death receptors
e. extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of programmed cell death both rely on a
series of protein cleavage reactions
99. Eukaryotic cells contain _____ autophagosomes that fuse with _____ to promote organelle
degradation in a process called _____.
a. single-membrane, lysosomes, autophagy
b. single-membrane, autophagosomes, apoptosis
c. double-membrane, lysosomes, autophagy
d. double-membrane, autophagosomes, autophagy
e. double-membrane, lysosomes, apoptosis
100. Suppose you treat a culture of human cells with mutagenic ultraviolet (UV) radiation and
you want to determine how many cells have initiated apoptosis and how many have not. Which
of the following features would be present in the normal (non-apoptotic) cells?
a. cytochrome c will be found in mitochondria
b. cytochrome c will be found in the cytoplasm
c. phosphatidylserine will be found in mitochondria
d. phosphatidylserine will be found in the cytoplasm
e. cytochrome c will be found in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane

CYTOSKELETON (ACTIN + MICROTUBULES + MOTORS)

CELL STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS
MITOSIS, CYTOKINESIS, AND THE CELL CYCLE
CELLS IN DISEASE AND MEDICINE (CANCER + PATHOGENS + DEATH)

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