Question

Assume that you work in a cell biology lab and investigate the role of some biomarkers in cell differentiation. Your advisor asked you to determine whether or not the cells that you have prepared in the lab has any potential to form stem cells. In previous experiments, other researchers have found that early biomarkers known as Oct4, Sox2, KLF4 and MYC were an indicator for stem cell formation. After you labelled your cells and counted the expression of these biomarkers in randomly selected cells.

You obtained the following counting results:

Biomarkers	Oct4	Sox2	KLF4	MYC
Previous Experiment	79	83	19	20
Your results	88	21	30	21

a.) State your null and alternate hypothesis in a single sentence

b.) By using the data on the table, evaluate your results with a statistical test and determine that if your cells are likely to form stem cells. (at the significance level of alpha (a)=0.05).

c.) Do you accept the null hypothesis that both results have the same frequency of gene expression? Explain your answer with your numerical results obtained from part b.

d.) Can you say that your cells likely form nerve cells? (Yes or no question) (Note: Answer this using your result from part b and c)

Answer 1

a) The null hypothesis is there does not exist role of biomarkers in a cell differentiation and alternative is the cells that you have prepared in the lab has any potential to form stem cells.

c) We can see from above that null hypothesis is rejected. Both results have the different frequency of gene expression

d) Cells is likely to form nerve cells as null hypothesis is rejected i.e. that the cells that you have prepared in the lab has any potential to form stem cells.