A scientist has obtained a sequence of a chimpanzee gene and wants to study how it interacts with other genes in a pathway. Which of the following approaches would be most appropriate to identify gene-gene interactions in this context?

• A. Measuring the melting temperature of the DNA sequence
• B. Performing a genetic epistasis analysis using model organisms
• C. Counting the number of exons in the gene
• D. Analyzing the GC content of the gene sequence

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the goal: The scientist wants to identify how the chimpanzee gene interacts with other genes in a biological pathway, which involves studying gene-gene interactions.
2. Evaluate each approach: Measuring melting temperature relates to DNA stability, counting exons relates to gene structure, and analyzing GC content relates to nucleotide composition; none of these directly reveal interactions between genes.
3. Recognize that genetic epistasis analysis is a method used to study interactions between genes by observing phenotypic effects when multiple genes are mutated or altered, often using model organisms.
4. Consider that model organisms provide a controlled system to manipulate genes and observe how changes in one gene affect the function of others, which is essential for identifying gene-gene interactions.
5. Conclude that performing genetic epistasis analysis using model organisms is the most appropriate approach to study gene-gene interactions in this context.