Overview
For this project we were tasked with researching a disease that was caused by a protein. We also were tasked with researching Central Dogma a.k.a protein synthesis. We had about a week to create a presentation, the one stipulation being that we could not use google slides and that there must be a 3D model. We chose to do our project on the disease Kuru. We ended up making two posters, one about Kuru, and one about protein synthesis. We also prduced two 3D models of a prion and a misfolded Kuru-causing prion. My group for this project was with Dieogo Gutierrez, Sarah Ng, and Elliott Thurlow.
Concepts
Protein Synthesis: The process through which new proteins are created. Split into 3 parts, transcription, translation, and folding (see Central Dogma). This is related to our project because Kuru is caused by prions that misfolded during the folding stage of protein synthesis.
Codon/Anti-codon: A codon is a set of three bases that make up mRNA. An Anti-codon is a set of threes bases attached to tRNA. When they come together in a ribosome the codons and anti codons match and produce an amino acid.
Polymerase: Polymerase is an enzyme that splits DNA to create mRNA in protein synthesis.
Polypeptide Chain: A polypeptide chain is a chain of amino acids that folds into a protein during the folding stage of protein synthesis, this is what misfolds to create a diseased prion protein rather than a healthy prion.
Proteins: A protein is a macro-molecule that creates enzymes, and controls work within cells. A prion is a type of protein.
4 Protein Folding Structures: There are four steps to protein folding, the Primary, where amino acids form a polypeptide chain in the cytoplasm, the Secondary, where it folds into alpha helix's and beta sheets based on hydrogen bonds, the Tertiary, where it folds into a precise structure based of of hydrophobic and hydrophillic amino acids in the ER/Golgi body, and the Quaternary, where it forms single hydrogen and nitrogen bonds and becomes usable. This is where the prion that causes Kuru happens to misfold.
Translation: Translation is the part of protein synthesis where mRNA ad tRNA come together in a ribosome and their codons/anti-codons match up releasing amino acids.
Transcription: Transcription is the part of protein synthesis where polymerase splits DNA and creates mRNA.
Alpha Helix: An alpha helix is a spiral part of protein structure. Misfolded Kuru prions have fewer alpha helix's than healthy prions.
Beta Sheet: A beta sheet is a strand part of protein structure. Misfolded Kuru prions have more beta sheets than healthy prions.
Prion: A prion is a type of protein. Kuru is caused by infectious misfolded prions.
Degenerative Disease: A degenerative disease is a disease caused by degenerative changes to cells, tissues, or organs, that progressively gets worse over time.
Amino Acids: An amino acid is the monomer that make up proteins.
RNA (Types): The RNA types that are relevant to this project are tRNA, mRNA, and rRNA. mRNA is messenger RNA that contain codon sequences for protein synthesis. tRNA is transport RNA that brings anti-codons and amino acids to ribosomes for translation. rRNA is Ribosomal RNA that makes up ribosomes.
Codon/Anti-codon: A codon is a set of three bases that make up mRNA. An Anti-codon is a set of threes bases attached to tRNA. When they come together in a ribosome the codons and anti codons match and produce an amino acid.
Polymerase: Polymerase is an enzyme that splits DNA to create mRNA in protein synthesis.
Polypeptide Chain: A polypeptide chain is a chain of amino acids that folds into a protein during the folding stage of protein synthesis, this is what misfolds to create a diseased prion protein rather than a healthy prion.
Proteins: A protein is a macro-molecule that creates enzymes, and controls work within cells. A prion is a type of protein.
4 Protein Folding Structures: There are four steps to protein folding, the Primary, where amino acids form a polypeptide chain in the cytoplasm, the Secondary, where it folds into alpha helix's and beta sheets based on hydrogen bonds, the Tertiary, where it folds into a precise structure based of of hydrophobic and hydrophillic amino acids in the ER/Golgi body, and the Quaternary, where it forms single hydrogen and nitrogen bonds and becomes usable. This is where the prion that causes Kuru happens to misfold.
Translation: Translation is the part of protein synthesis where mRNA ad tRNA come together in a ribosome and their codons/anti-codons match up releasing amino acids.
Transcription: Transcription is the part of protein synthesis where polymerase splits DNA and creates mRNA.
Alpha Helix: An alpha helix is a spiral part of protein structure. Misfolded Kuru prions have fewer alpha helix's than healthy prions.
Beta Sheet: A beta sheet is a strand part of protein structure. Misfolded Kuru prions have more beta sheets than healthy prions.
Prion: A prion is a type of protein. Kuru is caused by infectious misfolded prions.
Degenerative Disease: A degenerative disease is a disease caused by degenerative changes to cells, tissues, or organs, that progressively gets worse over time.
Amino Acids: An amino acid is the monomer that make up proteins.
RNA (Types): The RNA types that are relevant to this project are tRNA, mRNA, and rRNA. mRNA is messenger RNA that contain codon sequences for protein synthesis. tRNA is transport RNA that brings anti-codons and amino acids to ribosomes for translation. rRNA is Ribosomal RNA that makes up ribosomes.
Central Dogma (Protein SYNTHESIS)
- Starts as DNA
- Transcription
- Polymerase splits the DNA double helix in half (nucleus)
- Polymerase creates an mRNA by matching the code to the spilt DNA (nucleus)
- mRNA leaves nucleus
- mRNA attaches to a ribosome
- Polymerase splits the DNA double helix in half (nucleus)
- Transcription
- mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA
- Translation
- mRNA in the ribosome has a code for a protein
- mRNA and a ribosome attach to each other, the ribosome has three sections P,A, and E
- mRNA is read in triplets called codons that correspond with an amino acid, signals the start of the process, and the end of the process
- The tRNA meets the mRNA in the ribosome and attaches in the A section
- The tRNA then moves to the P section where it attaches its amino acid to the growing chain or starts a new chain
- The tRNA leaves the ribosome from the E section to get another amino acid to repeat the process
- When the end codon comes up instead of a tRNA a release factor attaches to release the amino acid chain
- The polypeptide chain leaves the ribosome and goes into the cytoplasm
- mRNA in the ribosome has a code for a protein
- Translation
- Protein Folding
- Travels to the rough ER
- Primary the amino acids just held together in a chain/peptide bond in cytoplasm
- Secondary- starting to fold in an alpha helix shape held by hydrogen bonds
- Tertiary-folding into the precise 3D structure. Looks like a ball or something. Fold on each other based on hydrophobic/hydrophilic amino acids. ER and Golgi
- Quaternary-single bonds between nitrogen and hydrogen bonds. Actually useable
- Travels to the rough ER
THE FiNAL PRODUCT
The first twenty pairs of the sequence for prions, the twentieth one on the right is related to the flexibility of the protein during folding that causes it to misfold.
Reflection
For this project I felt I did really well, I made the Kuru poster whilst Sarah made the models and the synthesis poster. Two things I felt I did really well in this project was work ethic and teamwork. I made the poster on time and put a lot of effort into making it look nice, and Elliot and I work very well together collecting data and polishing our final products. Two things I felt I did not do so well were that I didn't plan out too well, and I feel like I let Sarah do too much work. My time management as usual was not the best, I ended up doing the poster pretty late at night because of procrastination and it led to some suffering on my part. I also feel bad that Sarah did so much work, she did both the models and the Protein Synthesis poster all by herself, I felt like we should have split up the work better so she didn't have to do so much. Overall this project went really well, we finished it quickly and with a good final product.