Mary E. Brunkow

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mary-e--brunkow

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Mary E. Brunkow born?1961
2. What is the career?American molecular biologist and immunologist
3. What is the related scientific field?Regulatory T cell biology and the mechanisms of immune tolerance
4. Who is Mary E. Brunkow?Mary E. Brunkow is a scientist who studies how our bodies fight germs. She helped discover a gene called FOXP3 that is key to keeping the immune system balanced.
5. What is the scurfy mouse?The scurfy mouse is a special type of mouse that has a severe autoimmune problem. Scientists use it to learn how the immune system can go wrong.

Phenotype: The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences.
Transcription Factor: A protein that binds to a specific DNA sequence, thereby controlling the rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA.
Peripheral Immune Tolerance: Mechanisms that prevent the immune system from mounting an attack against self-antigens or harmless foreign substances in the periphery of the body.
Autoimmune Disease: A condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues.