Protein to Disease  

project description/process 

For this project we were tasked with researching and presenting a disease caused by a protein working improperly.  the disease that my group ( myself, Teddy, Kian, and Gracie) chose was marfan syndrome.  first we started learning background information like the comparison between normal and diseased proteins, protein production,  transcription, translation, and protein synthesis so that we knew all the important information to properly execute this project. 

then we research our disease ( marfan syndrome ) including the definition, symptoms, treatment, affected proteins, DNA code, mRNA code, amino acid sequence and ongoing research into marfan's.  we put all this information onto a research document and then used what we found to create a poster. we then divided up our presentation and rehearsed our parts. finally we presented our project to the class. 

Content- we used all these concepts to do this project 

Protein synthesis -  process that creates new proteins for cells using DNA information. It includes DNA transcription to mRNA, mRNA translation to an amino acid chain, and folding of the amino acid chain into a functional protein. This process is crucial to understanding how living organisms function and is called the central dogma of biology.

DNA Structure - includes deoxyribose sugar, phosphate, nucleotides, purines, pyrimidines, weak hydrogen bonds, and strong covalent bonds.

DNA Replication - DNA replication is the biological process of producing two identical replicas of DNA from one original DNA molecule.

Transcription - the process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA. 

1) the helicase splits DNA strand

2) RNA polymerase attaches to the TATA box to start transcription

3) RNA polymerase adds free floating mRNA nucleotides to the mRNA strand. This uses complementary base pairing: T -> A, A -> U, C -> G, G ->C.

4) the newly formed mRNA strand leaves the nucleus and the DNA gets reformed into a double helix. 

Translation - the process in which ribosomes in the cytoplasm or E.R. synthesize proteins after the process of transcription. 

1) mRNA attaches to the ribosome

2) tRNA brings the amino acid and matches with mRNA in ribosomes (the codon (made of 3 nucleotides) on mRNA with anti-codon on tRNA)

3) when codon/anti codon binds, it releases amino acid

4) amino acids bind to other amino acids, forming a polypeptide chain

5) when the stop codon is reached the polypeptide chain gets releases from the ribosome and goes into protein folding.

Protein Folding - process in which a protein chain folds to become its 3D structure. 

Genetic Diseases- caused by a change in the DNA sequence away from the normal sequences. They can be caused by a mutation of one or more genes. 

Reflection 

 During this project I enjoyed working with my group and we collaborated well together. We divided up the work and were able to get this project done on time. We focused hard on making sure everyone in our group understood what was going on. I feel I learned alot about how proteins can effect/ cause diseases. Also I learned a lot about protein synthesis and the process that proteins go through to be made.  

As an individual I was a conscientious learner and put a lot of effort into my work. I was also a good collaborator and worked well with my group. However, I could have improved my communication and critical thinking skills. Along with letting my teammates do more work and not taking over on so parts. 

Overall, I learned a lot about Marfan Syndrome and other diseases from listening to presentations and gained new skills like translating genetic code. Teamwork and communication were essential for our success, I feel that I demonstrated the 6Cs: Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Citizenship. Although I could have managed my time better and done more research, I am happy with the project's outcome.