Gene Regulation and Epigenetics Practice Questions
20 free Gene Regulation and Epigenetics practice questions for the USMLE Step 1, each with the correct answer and a detailed explanation. Open any question below, or take the full set as an interactive quiz.
Questions
20 questions
All Gene Regulation and Epigenetics questions
- Q1. What is the definition of “epigenetics” in the context of gene regulation?
- Q2. Which chemical modification of DNA is most commonly involved in gene silencing when present in promoter CpG islands?
- Q3. Which family of enzymes is directly responsible for adding methyl groups to DNA during establishment of DNA methylation patterns?
- Q4. Which of the following histone modifications is generally associated with opening chromatin and activating transcription?
- Q5. Which histone modification is often correlated with transcriptional repression and formation of heterochromatin?
- Q6. Which non–DNA-altering mechanism can regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally in epigenetic control?
- Q7. Which statement best describes how epigenetic modifications influence chromatin structure and gene expression?
- Q8. Which of the following processes is an example of epigenetic regulation in mammals?
- Q9. What is the likely effect of hypermethylation of a tumor suppressor gene promoter in a cancer cell?
- Q10. Which enzyme type removes acetyl groups from histone tails, leading to chromatin compaction and gene repression?
- Q11. What is chromatin remodeling and why is it important in gene regulation?
- Q12. Which of the following statements about histone “code” is most accurate?
- Q13. During differentiation of stem cells into a specific tissue type, epigenetic regulation is critical mainly because:
- Q14. Which of the following can be considered an epigenetic mechanism that may be influenced by environmental factors such as diet or toxins?
- Q15. Which epigenetic mechanism is often reversible and thus a potential target for therapeutic intervention (e.g. in cancer)?
- Q16. In X-chromosome inactivation in females, which epigenetic mechanism plays a central role in silencing one X chromosome?
- Q17. Which of the following describes “genomic imprinting” correctly?
- Q18. Which of the following best describes the relationship between DNA methylation and histone modifications in establishing stable gene silencing?
- Q19. Which epigenetic mark would you expect at the promoter region of an actively transcribed housekeeping gene?
- Q20. Which statement correctly describes non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in epigenetic regulation?