Review Questions Chapter 5 (Biotech)
How many different kinds of amino acids are found in proteins? What distinguishes one amino acid from another?
20 AA and the R-groups
PAGE gels are usually run at what amount of current?
35 mAmps
What happens if an enzyme is at a pH significantly above or below its optimum level?
Charged ions may interfere with an enzyme's activity or cause it to denature.
A technician has a stock protein solution with a concentration of 1 mg/mL. He prepares a 1:4 serial dilution of the stock and runs the samples on a PAGE gel. What is the preferred method of staining and why?
Coomassie Blue since it is less expensive and requires less time and labor.
How many polypeptide chains are found in an antibody, and how are they held together in the protein?
four polypeptide chains and are held together by disulfide bonds
How is taq polymerase a great benefit to the biotech R&D industry?
it can produce a great yield of DNA & proteins for research
What causes polypeptide chains to fold into functional proteins?
How the different amino acids in the chain interact with each other
Give an example of proteins studied to understand evolutionary relationships.
Hemoglobin
If a structural gene's code is TAC GGC ATG CCCTTA CGC ATC, what will the mRNA transcript be?
AUG CCG UAC GGGAAU GCG UAG
DNA codes are critical to determining structure and function of a protein.
DNA -> RNA -> Protein The amino acid order coded for on the DNA is what is critical in determining the ultimate structure and function of a protein.
Name three examples of enzymes and their substrates
DNase - decomposes DNA Protease - decomposes proteins Lipase - degrades lipids to glycerol and fatty acids
What separates molecules on a PAGE gel?
Electrophoresis by size and shape
What is NCBI, how can you access it, and what important information is found there?
National Center for Biotechnology Information. Go to their website and there is information on protein sequences
Do all protein scientists work at biotechnology companies?
No, but the majority do since it involves protein science such as protein analysis, protein engineering, and protein manufacturing. There are also private industries as well as research labs at universities.
What does PAGE stand for, and what samples are studied using PAGE?
Polyacrylmaide gel electrophoresis. Proteins and small DNA molecules are commonly used with PAGE.
What is the value of monoclonal antibody technology?
That many identical antibodies to specific epitopes are produced in large quantities which can be used in genetic testing, research, and manufacturing
Be able to explain the benefits of breast cancer treatment in the production of the anti-HER2 antibody. The antibody attaches ONLY to cells expressing the HER2 protein and block / inactivates them. How is the more effective than traditional chemotherapies?
The match is precise, so the antibody can be used to diagnose and treat the forms of breast cancer expressing these proteins. Only HER2 is affected, resulting in the treatment to be more effective and has less side effects than traditional chemotherapies.
What causes the difference between normal and sickled cells in sickle cell disease?
The protein composition or structure varies
What happens if an enzyme is at a temperature significantly above its optimum temperature?
Too much stress is placed on the H-bonds holding the enzyme's shape, and the enzyme may begin to unravel (denaturation).
Distinguish between transcription and translation.
Transcription is when DNA unwounds and becomes rewritten as mRNA. Translation is when mRNA becomes an amino acid sequence.
If the mRNA transcript was translated into a peptide, what would the amino acid sequence of the peptide be?
methionine proline trysoine glycine asparagine alanine stop
What would ane enzyme be called if it moved methyl groups (-CH3) between molecules?
methyltransferase
What is the name of the machine that can make short amino acid chains?
peptide synthesizer