Protein to Disease

Evidence of Work

Our task for this project was to describe how a protein can cause a disease through detailing what protein synthesis is, giving background of our disease (Alzheimer's), and by comparing the normal protein to the diseased protein. We began by picking our disease which was Alzheimer because we had heard of the disease and knew somewhat of the effect it had on the brain and nervous system but we wanted to learn more. The process involved gathering research about the parts of the body Alzheimer's disease effects, the protein or gene affected in the disease, if there are any treatments or cures, and other interesting research about the disease we discovered.

The next step was understanding what transcription and translation were. We found that transcription is the process by which the information in a strand of DNA is copied into a new molecule of messenger. It takes place in the nucleus, and the major players of transcription which are DNA, messenger RNA, and RNA polymerase. Translation is the process by which a protein is synthesized from the information contained in a molecule of messenger RNA, it takes place in the ribosomes , and major players include the mRNA and ribosomes.

The last step was researching protein folding and figuring out the process. During our research we found protein folding is the physical process by which a protein chain is translated to its native three-dimensional structure, typically a "folded" conformation by which the protein becomes biologically functional, it occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum, and major players or terms include secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and endoplasmic reticulum.

Content

Alzheimer's Disease: Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.

Protein Synthesis: Protein synthesis is the process by which amino acids are linearly arranged into proteins through the involvement of ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, messenger RNA, and various enzymes.

Nervous System: The nervous system is the network of nerve cells and fibers which transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body.

Transcription: Transcription is the process by which the information in a strand of DNA is copied into a new molecule of messenger.

Translation:Translation is the process by which a protein is synthesized from the information contained in a molecule of messenger RNA (mRNA).

DNA: DNA is a self-replicating material that is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.

Messenger RNA: mRNA is the form of RNA in which genetic information transcribed from DNA as a sequence of bases is transferred to a ribosome.

RNA Polymerase: RNA polymerase is an enzyme that is responsible for copying a DNA sequence into an RNA sequence, during the process of transcription.

Protein Folding: Protein folding is the physical process by which a protein chain is translated to its native three-dimensional structure, typically a "folded" conformation by which the protein becomes biologically functional.

REflection

This was a very interesting project and we got to learn about many diseases, some I have heard of and others I had not known existed. I learned a lot about our disease Alzheimer's and afterwards was able to see my classmates' presentations and learn about the diseases they had researched. The project overall went well and we split the work up between each teammate well. One thing that was difficult was finding the DNA and mRNA code for the gene. We asked for some assistance from our teacher about the website and the process to find it and we were able to complete the task. Now if we had to do it all over again we would have a better understanding of the process to take. We did not end up presenting this to the whole class and if we were to, we could have displayed our information in a way that differs from the research report that we completed. We demonstrated critical thinking through trying to determine DNA code and mRNA code because it was a large and very complicated process and we managed to work through it which also demonstrated collaboration.