The Purpose
Answer the question: How can mutations in our DNA cause proteins to work incorrectly?
The Project
My group and I chose to study the protein synthesis of insulin and how it relates to the development of type II diabetes. After choosing type II diabetes for the focus disease of our project, we first had to find out which protein caused the disease. This protein was insulin. We then had to find out what went wrong in the development of the insulin protein in order for the type II diabetes to form. We first studied how insulin normally formed.
Insulin is formed like any other protein. It has its unique code in the DNA which goes through the process of transcription and translation all the way to the protein folding. The amino acid chain goes through the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary steps of folding and finally insulin is formed.
In people with type II diabetes however, this exact process does not happen. When the DNA splits and attaches to the mRNA during transcription, the mRNA doesn't get the complete code from the DNA. This causes there to be a single amino acid missing from the amino acid chain that is supposed to fold into the complete protein. This causes the protein insulin to not be produced which is why people with type II diabetes have to inject insulin into themselves.
Below is an image of our complete project.
Insulin is formed like any other protein. It has its unique code in the DNA which goes through the process of transcription and translation all the way to the protein folding. The amino acid chain goes through the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary steps of folding and finally insulin is formed.
In people with type II diabetes however, this exact process does not happen. When the DNA splits and attaches to the mRNA during transcription, the mRNA doesn't get the complete code from the DNA. This causes there to be a single amino acid missing from the amino acid chain that is supposed to fold into the complete protein. This causes the protein insulin to not be produced which is why people with type II diabetes have to inject insulin into themselves.
Below is an image of our complete project.
What is Protein Synthesis?
The process by which individual amino acids are connected to each other in a specific order dictated by the nucleotide sequence in DNA, which also involves the processes of transcription and translation. Protein synthesis is process by which the genetic code puts together proteins in the cell.
TranscriptionTranscription is the process in which the mRNA is copied from the DNA template.
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TranslationTranslation is the process in which a mRNA chain is translated into a polypeptide chain.
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DNA-deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
MRNA-Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a subtype of RNA. An mRNA molecule carries a portion of the DNA code to other parts of the cell for processing. mRNA is created during transcription. During the transcription process, a single strand of DNA is decoded by RNA polymerase, and mRNA is synthesized. Protein-any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that consist of large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, collagen, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies. |
Ribosome-a minute particle consisting of RNA and associated proteins, found in large numbers in the cytoplasm of living cells. They bind messenger RNA and transfer RNA to synthesize polypeptides and proteins.
tRNA-Transfer RNA. Small RNA molecules that carry amino acids to the ribosome for polymerization into a polypeptide. During translation the amino acid is inserted into the growing polypeptide chain when the anticodon of the tRNA pairs with a codon on the mRNA being translated. Codon/Anti-codon-anticodon: a triplet of nucleotide bases in transfer RNA that identifies the amino acid carried and binds to a complementary codon in messenger RNA during protein synthesis at a ribosome. Amino Acid-a simple organic compound containing both a carboxyl (—COOH) and an amino (—NH2) group. Polypeptide Chain-A polypeptide is a single linear chain of many amino acids, held together by amide bonds. A protein consists of one or more polypeptides (more than about 50 amino acids long). An oligopeptide consists of only a few amino acids (between two and twenty). |
Reflection
During this project I learned that I am able to take charge of a group to keep them on track and complete the project. I also learned that when I am not distracted, I can be a ver diligent worker and I can get many things done in a given amount of time. One thing that I could've done better during this project is start the research earlier. This could've helped us not rush towards the end of the project to get things done. Another thing I could've done better is get everyone involved in the project so that I could've been done at a higher academic level. I could've done this by assigning jobs such as when completing the poster towards the end of this project. Overall this project helped me learn a lot about protein synthesis, my group, and myself.