Question

A medical researcher is developing a genetic test for a hereditary disease. How would restriction enzyme analysis help identify patients who carry the disease gene?
Responses

The disease gene would appear brighter under UV light
The disease gene would appear brighter under UV light

Restriction enzymes would only cut healthy DNA, not diseased DNA
Restriction enzymes would only cut healthy DNA, not diseased DNA

Mutations in the disease gene would create different restriction fragment patterns
Mutations in the disease gene would create different restriction fragment patterns

The disease gene would migrate faster through the gel

Answer 1

Mutations in the disease gene would create different restriction fragment patterns.

Explanation: a mutation can create or abolish a restriction-enzyme recognition site (or alter fragment lengths), so after digesting genomic DNA, running it on a gel (and usually probing by Southern blot or using PCR-RFLP), affected alleles produce fragments of different sizes. Heterozygous carriers show both the normal and the mutant fragment pattern.