Civil Services Prep

Prelims 2019 · Science and Technology · Question 46

'RNA interference (RNAi)' technology has gained popularity in the last few years. Why?

  1. It is used in developing gene silencing therapies.
  2. It can be used in developing therapies for the treatment of cancer.
  3. It can be used to develop hormone replacement therapies.
  4. It can be used to produce crop plants that are resistant to viral pathogens.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. 1, 2 and 4
  2. 2 and 3
  3. 1 and 3
  4. 1 and 4 only

Answer

1, 2 and 4

1. Correct. RNA interference is a natural gene-silencing mechanism using small RNA molecules (siRNA/miRNA), so it is directly used in developing gene-silencing therapies.

2. Correct. RNAi can silence oncogenes or other cancer-related genes, so it has been explored for cancer therapeutics.

3. Incorrect. Hormone replacement therapy means supplying deficient hormones externally; RNAi does not replace hormones, it mainly suppresses gene expression.

4. Correct. RNAi has been used to create virus-resistant crop plants by silencing viral genes or essential host factors needed by the virus.

Hence, 1, 2 and 4 are correct.

  1. Which of the following statements with regard to genetic medicine is/are correct ? 1. Genetic medicines…
  2. Which of the following statements with regard to Large Language Models (LLMs) used in machine learning is/are…
  3. Which of the following statements with regard to stealth technology is/are correct ? 1. Stealth objects have a…
  4. Which of the following statements with regard to Black Boxes used in modern aircrafts is/are correct ? 1. They…
  5. Consider the following statements with regard to involvement of private entities in India's space programme :…
  6. Which of the following statements with regard to drone swarms is/are correct ? 1. They use Terahertz band of…