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Vinblastine is a drug that interferes with the assembly of microtubules. It is widely used for chemotherapy in treating cancer patients whose cancer cells are actively dividing to form tumors. Suggest a hypothesis to explain how vinblastine slows tumor growth.

Assuming that albinism is under the control of a single gene pair and inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, could two albino individuals ever produce any offspring with normal pigmentation?

Discuss some examples of when the environment influences the expression of genes.

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When cells divide, they under nuclear division called mitosis. In order for mitosis to properly operate, a functioning "spindle" needs to exist in the cell. The spindle fibers, as you know, are made of microtubules. Since vinblastine interferes with the assembly of microtubules, it must interfere with the spindle apparatus. Therefore, nuclear division cannot properly occur in cells treated with vinblastine. Mitosis cannot occur; and therefore, cells cannot divide. When cells cannot divide, tumor growth can be slowed.

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Let us indicate the recessive gene with the ...

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