Blond Solomon Islanders have a different mutation responsible for their hair col
ID: 179501 • Letter: B
Question
Blond Solomon Islanders have a different mutation responsible for their hair color. The version of the TYRP1 hair color gene (allele) for dark hair has a C at position 277 of the coding sequence of tyrosinase-related protein 1 while the TYRP1 allele for blond hair has a T. People have 2 copies of the TYRP1 gene: one allele from their mother and one allele from their father. Thus three genotypes are expected in the Solomon Islands: CC (each allele has a C at position 277), CT (one allele with C, one with T), and TT (both alleles have T at position 277). Hair color for people of all three genotypes was measured with a spectrometer by collecting hair samples and determining the amount of reflectance of light at a particular wavelength.The TYRP1 protein made from the dark allele is stabilized by very specific disulfide linkages between cysteine pairs. The blond mutation results in a protein that may have a disrupted disulfide bonding. What kind of bond is a disulfide linkage? Question 7 options: A) nonpolar covalent B) noncovalent C) hydrogen D) van der Waals E) ionic F) polar covalent
Explanation / Answer
It is a nonpolar covalent bond. This is because, electrons are shared between the two sulfur atoms to form the bond.