Protein To Disease

We investigated the process of protein synthesis from DNA in this project. In addition, we looked at genetic conditions and how mutations cause them. We started by conducting background research. Following that, we were given the task of creating a poster to explain the disease and how genetics and mutations cause it. The disease we researched and presented on was Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

Here is a picture of our poster:

Concepts:

Transcription:

  • Occurs when DNA in the nucleus is copied onto blank mRNA. First, the DNA double helix is split in half by the enzyme helicase. Next, RNA polymerase moves down the chain nucleotides that are complementary to the strand. Complementary bases are opposite to those on the DNA. This means that where there is an adenine nucleotide on the strand it will be copied into RNA with a uricell base. Where there is a cytoisine nucleotide there will then be a guanine base opposite it. This makes mRNA which then goes to ribosomes outside of the nucelus and helps create proteins.

Translation:

  • The mRNA now leaves the nucleus. It enters a ribosome where the printing of a protein begins. Every 3 bases of the mRNA correlate to a single amino acid. These segments of 3 bases are called codons. They match with anticodons from tRNA to attach the amino acids together into a polypeptide chain. The tRNA lines up with the opposite nucleotide base pairs and then the correct amino acid is deposited to make a protein. After being attached in a chain it goes outside of the ribosome to fold into its corresponding protein in the cytoplasm.

Mutations:

  • Mutations occur in DNA when the process goes wrong. This results in some bases in the DNA being added, deleted, switched around, or entire segments being rearranged. This causes different amino acids to be put into polypeptide chains which can result in different or diseased proteins. This is the case of the disease we based our project on, Creutzdfelt-Jakob. In this disease, a diseased protein is formed in the brain which causes problems with memory loss and can lead to death. This shows how serious mutations in DNA can be.

Folding:

  • Protein folding is when polypeptide chains fold into various proteins depending on hormones, temperature, the order of amino acids, and other various variables.


Reflection:

Overall our poster was well made and simply, but elegantly explained our chosen disease. Two things I did well this project were collaboration and communication. These involved my two partners, Ryan and Sola. To complete our project we had to first research our disease and understand it and its various parts of how the protein forms and how it effects the brain. Then we each got divied up different parts of the poster we would research and we collaborated on our final rendition of our completed poster with all of its information. Two things we could have done better this project was more critical-thinking and conscientious learner. This is because at the start of the project, some parts of protein synthesis and how the prion proteins form in the brain is still too complicated for me and I feel lost when I try to understand them. We also had some time-management problems where some days with our projects we would be far ahead of schedule and other days we might fall behind and not get much done.