Question

U Tele Connection: would gene therapy be an effective treatment for a nongenetic disease like a staph infection caused by MRSA (Methicilin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus)? Common Thread Connection: 1. A scientist cuts a large amount of DNA using a restriction enzyme that she believes will pro- duce a range of DNA pieces that are relatively similar in size. Scientists can vary the density of the agar gels by varying the amount of agarose in the gel. Would she want to make an agar gel with a higher or lower amount of agarose in order to get the DNA bands to separate? A higher amount of agarose in the gel makes it stiffer. Briefly explain your answer.

Answer 1

Question

1. No, the gene therapy would not be an effective treatment for a nongenetic disease like a staph infection. This is because gene therapy is suitable for treating the genetic diseases that are likely to cause by a mutation in one or two genes. However, staph infection is an infectious disease that are disorders cause by organism by stoping or slowing down the host cellular machinery.

2. A higher amount of agarose in gel makes it stiffer because it reduces the speed by which DNA moves and lead to the separation of small bands during the gel electrophoresis. Therefore, it is very important to keep a correct concentration of agarose during experiment.