What We Did
We had to chose a disease that is caused by misfolding proteins. We had to learn what protein synthesis is and how it causes our disease. We also had to learn about our diseases.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a genetic disease with in the insulin that causes high blood sugar. The disease effects your nerves and blood vessels. Some symptoms are unexplained weight loss, increased tiredness, and increased hunger. This disease can lead to heart disease, stroke, and diabetic blindness. Insulin injections helps to even out the amount of sugar in the blood.
Protein Synthesis of Insulin
First transcription happens in the nucleus. The mRNA then goes into the cytoplasm for the second step, which is translation. 110 amino acids with 24 signal peptide amino acids are reproduced with the help of the tRNA polymerase, which forms the polypeptide chain for insulin. The signal protein allows passage into the ER for folding. Once they are folded they go to the Golgi Apparatus, where they go through different pathways to do their job. Insulin binds to the receptors, which then sends a signal to the cell to start removing sugar from the blood.
How the Protein Misfolds
Some times there are mutations in genes that cause the beta-cells in the pancreas to die. This reduces the amount of insulin able to fold. The insulin protein can also be misfolded. This can happen when unregulated amounts of sugar is released into the blood and stresses out the ER's production of the insulin. This stress can cause the misfolding of insulin. Misfolded insulin is where insulin binds receptors to the cell but the signal is never sent to start picking up the glucose. Therefore high blood pressure ensues.
Contents
- Nucleus - This is the cell and it contains all the genetic information of the cell.
- DNA - This holds all the genetic information of the cell. This also tell the proteins how to form.
- Translation - This is the first step in protein synthesis First the DNA is copied into messenger RNA. All the thymine changes to uracil. This all happens inside of the nucleus. Then the mRNA leaves the cell to go the the cytoplasm for the second step.
- mRNA - This is what comes from the copying the DNA. This carries the base pairs that will match with the tRNA. All of the thymine base pairs change to uracil in mRNA.
- Codon/ Anti- codon - A codon is a set of three base pairs on the mRNA and the anti- codon is the corresponding set of three base pairs on the tRNA.
- Transcription - This the second step of protein synthesis which happens in the cytoplasm. Ribosomes attach to the mRNA. The tRNA matches their anti- codons to the codons on the mRNA in this process. The amino acids also form their peptide chain here.
- Ribosome - It attaches itself to the mRNA so the mRNA can begin the process of transcription.
- Amino Acid - They are attached to the tRNA. There are 20 different type of amino acids.
- tRNA - Transfer RNA carries the amino acids that will bond together during the process of transcription. They also carry the three corresponding base pairs to also attach to during transcription.
- Polypeptide Chain - This is a chain of amino acids. Depending on the order of the amino acids, the polypeptide will fold into different proteins.
- Folding - This happens after the polypeptide chain is made. The chain then splits into alpha helix and beta sheets. The domains are then formed and finally all the domains combine to form a functioning protein. This happens in the rough ER, the smooth ER, and Golgi Apparatus.
- Protein - This is the end result of protein synthesis. Proteins carry out the functions of the cell, provide the structure, and regulates the body tissues and organs.
Reflection
In this process I learned how proteins are made and how they can be formed wrong and function incorrectly. In this project we were better about being on task and working towards a deadline because of the Gantt chart we made. We could have done a better job communicating our research with each other so we knew what others had already covered in their research. We could add on to this project by researching other diseases caused by genetics or what other differences between people occur in protein misfolding.