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Question #45158
The Question
Widespread application of somatic cell gene therapy for a lethal autosomal recessive disorder (e.g., ADA deficiency) allows affected individuals to survive and reproduce. In contrast, germline gene therapy corrects the defective allele at the zygotic stage. From the perspective of population genetics and natural selection, which of the following statements correctly describes the long-term evolutionary impact of these therapies?
Options
- A.
Somatic therapy increases the genetic load of the population by relaxing natural selection, whereas germline therapy directly reduces the frequency of the deleterious allele in the gene pool.
- B.
Both therapies will eventually establish a new Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by ensuring the survival of homozygous recessive individuals.
- C.
Somatic therapy permanently purges the deleterious allele from the population, while germline therapy increases the accumulation of hidden recessive mutations.
- D.
Germline therapy increases the genetic load by artificially inflating ecological fitness, whereas somatic therapy restricts the deleterious allele strictly to the treated individual's lifetime.
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Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Evolutionary_Exception
Tackle problems where standard rules evolve or change based on specific environmental constraints.
Concepts Behind This Question
Ecological Fitness|Germline Intervention|Darwinian Selection
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: Students often confuse the phenotypic cure of somatic gene therapy with a genotypic cure for the lineage.
The trap lies in failing to recognize that curing a lethal genetic disease somatically allows the mutant allele to bypass natural selection, thereby paradoxically increasing its frequency (genetic load) in the population gene pool over generations.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Biotechnology and Its Applications - Class 12 |
| Concept | Gene Therapy Germline vs Somatic |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |