Edexcel A2 Biology Unit 5 (6BIO5) - 22/06/2011- OFFICIAL THREAD !

How can antibody therepy used to block myostatin?

umm is is respirometer the same as spirometer? i understand the spirometer experiment, but im sure theres another experiment where u measure the oxygen uptake of maggots or something :/ i havnt got a clue cos i got kicked out of that lesson when we were doing it, and theres nothing about it in the text book or anything. would be grateful for you help mate (:

Myostatin limits the number of stem cells defferentiating in to muscle cells. Creating antibodies artificially that can bind to myostatin may increase the likely hood of the persons immune system attacking the myostatin meaning more stem cells can differentiate in to muscle cells.
Hope that helps its the limited knowledge i have on antibody therapy

Nah spirometer is the Tidal volume one and things,

You are talking about sthe spirometer one, where sodalime is put to absorb the co2?

Well,

A basic respirometer has a sealed chamber containing living organism, the volume of carbondioxide given off is the same as the oxgen taken in, hence soda lime is used to absorb the C02 produced during respiration. The loss of C02 is measured by observing thr movement of fluid in the capillary tube, amount of oxygen used is calculated from this

Wouldn't the myostatin have self-antigens though?

Do kidney cells produce epo? So during gene therapy the plasmid/virus attacks the kidney cells?

Anybody know the exact Edexcel answer is for 'What is meant by the critical window?' (2 marks)

Wouldn't the myostatin have self-antigens though?

Yes, EPO proteins are made in kidney cells. Not sure what you mean, why would the vector attack kidney cells? Gene therapy is the insertion of a benifical gene in to a cell

Anybody know the exact Edexcel answer is for 'What is meant by the critical window?' (2 marks)

Anybody know the exact Edexcel answer is for 'What is meant by the critical window?' (2 marks)

Periods of time in which vital neural connections are made in response to specific stimuli. If enough stimulus isn't received then that neural connection does not develop (2 marks)

Yes, EPO proteins are made in kidney cells. Not sure what you mean, why would the vector attack kidney cells? Gene therapy is the insertion of a benifical gene in to a cell

yours sounds better than mine hehe :P

I think they mean when the vector inserts the genes into the target cell (the kidneys) it is effectively "attacking" the cell, which I guess it kinda is. But because its inserting good genes once it has "attacked" the cell, and doesnt have its own DNA anymore, it wont cause a negative effect??