Question

Read the sources given and answer any four from the questions given below:

The nematode parasite Meloidogyne incognita infects the roots of the tobaccо plants and reduces the yield remarkably. The RNA interference technique involves interfering or silencing a specific mRNA. When a specific mRNA is silenced, it cannot produce the protein enzyme formed by it. Hence the process where this enzyme is involved gets stopped. The bacteria Agrobacterium is used as a vector to introduce nematode-specific genes into the host plant. The gene or DNA introduced produces both sense and anti-sense RNA in the host cells. These two RNAs are complementary to each other and when present together form a double-stranded RNA called dsRNA. The dsRNA initiates RNA interference (RNAi), that is, it silences the specific mRNA of nematode. Since this specific mRNA is essential for survival of nematode, the parasite nematode cannot survive in the transgenic host expressing specific interfering RNA. As a result, the transgenic plant gets protected from the nematode parasite.

1. When a specific mRNA is silenced,
   1. bacteria cannot survive
   2. specific protein enzyme is not formed
   3. tRNA is not formed
   4. sense RNA is formed
2. What is the structure of dsRNA in RNA interference technique
   1. RNA formed from DNA
   2. having two strands of sense RNA
   3. having two strands of anti-sense RNA
   4. double-stranded RNA having one strand of sense RNA and one strand of anti-sense RNA
3. The function of dsRNA is to
   1. silence-specific mRNA of bacteria
   2. silence-specific mRNA of host cell
   3. silence-specific mRNA of nematode
   4. stop the formation of mRNA
4. The vector used in RNA inference technique is
   1. Meloidogyne incognita
   2. nematode parasite
   3. Agrobacterium
   4. tobacco plant
5. Nematode parasite cannot survive in transgenic tobacco plant because tobacco plant
   1. has a gene that silences specific mRNA of nematode
   2. has a bacterial gene
   3. produces toxins to kill nematode
   4. alters DNA of nematode

Answer 1

1. specific protein enzyme is not formed
2. double-stranded RNA having one strand of sense RNA and one strand of anti-sense RNA
3. silence-specific mRNA of nematode
4. Agrobacterium
5. has a gene that silences specific mRNA of nematode