Assignment

Choose one of the following three topics for your primary post. Your primary post should address everything that the instructions call for (for the topic you choose). Your post should also be at least 125 words in length. Additionally, please respond to at least one other discussant on any topic.

Topic 1. Tumor-suppressor genes versus Proto-oncogenes. This is a library-research topic in which you are required to provide your sources. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes can contribute to or cause cancer, just as mutations in proto-oncogenes can also contribute to or cause cancer. However, tumor suppressor genes are very different from proto-oncogenes.

• (a) What is the basic difference between a tumor suppressor gene and a proto-oncogene?

• (b) Explain how mutations in these very different types of genes can cause or contribute to causing cancer.

Topic 2. Sexual Reproduction in Unicellular Eukaryotes. Watch the instructor's video about "Sexual Reproduction in Unicellular Eukaryotes", which is found in the Instructor Insights section for this week. For a single-celled species to be capable of sexual reproduction, the species must have both haploid and diploid forms

• (a) Explain what diploid form of the organism must be capable of doing, for the species to reproduce sexually.

• (b) Explain what haploid form of the organism must be capable of doing, for the species to reproduce sexually.
• Reminder: you don't need to cite my videos or the papers that the videos are based on, but if you use any other sources, you must cite them.

Topic 3. Apoptosis. Watch the Khan Academy video about apoptosis ("Apoptosis", n.d.), then address the following issues in your own words:

• (a) What is the difference between apoptosis and necrosis?
• (b) What is the role of apoptosis in normal, healthy development?
• Reminder: you don't need to cite the Khan Academy video for this topic, but if you use any other sources, you must cite them.