Protein Function

What happens when a protein’s environment is changed?

Protein Structure

based on the sequence of amino acids.

If the sequence changes, the protein changes

Protein Folding The structure (how its

folded) of the protein affects the function.

Changing one amino acid can change the shape which alters the function resulting in genetic disorders

Structure Meets Function: Making a Protein

TASK: Create a protein (Pencil Transferase) with a pipe cleaner that can move a pencil from one desk to another.

Structure Reflects FunctionThe SHAPE of the pipe cleaner

allows it to perform its FUNCTION Just like pipe cleaners, proteins are

folded into specific shapes to perform their functions!

Handle Domain

Handle Domain

Pencil-Binding Domain

Videoclips:

Videoclip – One Wrong Letter – Tay Sachs

Videoclip – Finding Cures is Hard– Cystic Fibrosis

Cn3D – Viewing 3-D Proteins

Hemoglobin BRCA1 – no mutation (methionine - M) BRCA1 – mutation (Loc 130 - arginine - R) Videoclip: BRCA1 and Breast Cancer Videoclip – Complexity in Proteins

The Genetic Code - 20 amino acids

• Uses 3 letter “words” (codons) that translate to amino acids

• 3 bases = codon

• AUG = start• UAG,UAA,UGA

= stop