University:
Sam Houston State University
Course:
BIOL 2413 | General Zoology
Academic year:

2019
Views:

171

Pages:

12
Author:

Clint W.

PROTEIN FOLDING Objectives Review central dogma of molecular biology.  Discuss type of protein.  Assess amino acids.  Demonstrate folding proteins.  REVIEW – CENTRAL DOGMA OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY DNA is copied by mRNA in a 5  3 direction  mRNA is read in groups of three (codons) by a ribosome  Each codon codes for a specific amino acid  That particular amino acid is delivered by tRNA  A string of amino acids creates a peptide, and peptides join to form a protein.  SO WHAT’S NEXT?  We left off with very little follow-up. You might wonder… How does a string of amino acids turn into a functional protein?  How does a protein know what to do?  How does a protein know what shape to take?   Proteins are the molecular machines of the body; each has a specific job to perform The job of each protein is largely determined by its 3dimensional shape  The shape a protein takes depends directly on what kind of amino acids are in that particular protein.  ATP SYNTHASE HEMOGLOBIN INSULIN SHAPE DETERMINES FUNCTION  Again, the shape of a protein comes from its amino acids, and this shape determines its function.  The amino acids that are used depends directly on the codons in mRNA copied from DNA. Proteins are made from 20 amino acids  Each amino acid has a specific set of properties that help create the shape of the protein       For example, some amino acids are negative charged Some are positively charged Some are neutral Some like water; some hate it Some really like other amino acids that are the same AMINO ACID TERMINOLOGY Amino acids can be written in a number of ways  The first amino acid discovered was asparagine    This was because it was isolated from asparagus We can just write ‘asp’ or even just the letter ‘N’ Why N? Because we already used A for Alanine  Each amino acid has its own one-letter code (just like each atomic element has a one- or two letter code; e.g. Oxygen is O, Carbon is C, Gold is Au)  RULES OF PROTEIN FOLDING   When amino acids are assembled in a line to make a protein, they do not stay in an even, straight line. This is similar to a line at lunch sometimes…     A couple might move closer to each other without leaving the line Two friends fighting might move away from each other That one kid who really likes pizza might move on one side of the line or the other That other kid who ate too much raw cookie dough might move to the side of the line with the trash can   Everyone else would probably move to the opposite side! So even though all of the students might stay in the same order, the line might twist and tangle its way through the cafeteria.  It rarely, if ever, stays in an even straight line. AMINO ACIDS – THE TEENAGERS OF MOLECULES Amino Acids are similar to teenagers.  Some amino acids are attracted to each other; others are repelled by each other  In general, there are a couple of factors that affect how amino acids shape the protein.  AMINO ACID CHARGE The first of these factors is charge  An amino acid can be negatively charged, positively charged, or neutral (no charge)  Opposite charges attract; a negative will move closer to a positive charge and form a bond  Similar charges repel each other; two positive charges will move away from each other   Ditto for two negative charges