CMB-2 Flashcards
What is the functionality of proteins dependent on?
the 3D arrangement of the polypeptide chain
what is the folding of the polypeptide chain determined by?
- the amino acid sequence
- the molecular structure and properties of its amino acids
what equates to ‘handedness’ in amino acids?
D and L isomers
how do amino acids combine to form polypeptides?
via a condensation reaction releasing water
what is a residue?
each repeating unit of the polypeptide chain. each residue consists of an invariable unit comprising an alpha carbon, C’=O and an NH group
how is the variable side chain usually arranged?
in a trans conformation (99.9%)
how is the peptide bone arranged?
it is a planar structure with rotational freedom around an alpha carbon
what does rotational freedom of peptide bonds allow?
allows huge variation in the conformation of the peptide chain. this freedom favours the formation of structural arrangements such as alpha helices and beta sheets.
what is ∆G?
the change in free energy upon folding
what determines the most favourable conformation of a molecular structure?
the minimisation of its specific energetic state
what can affect the free molecular energy of a conformation…
the molecular environment, e.g.: aqueous or lipid membrane, other proteins or molecules. Changes in this environment can induce a further conformational change
what forces determine folding (non-covalent bonds)?
- charge or electrostatic attractions
- hydrogen bonds
- van der waals attraction, dipole
- hydrophobic interactions
what are van der waals forces?
van der waals forces occur between two atoms in non-covalent interactions. they are determined by their fluctuating charge. attraction at a close distance is balanced by repulsion due to proximity that is determined by the van der waals radius of an atom. they are induced by proximity of molecules.
what are hydrophobic interactions driven by?
the minimisation of the disruption of the water lattice
how do disulphide bonds form between cysteine residues?
very strong covalent bonds form between the side chains of two cysteine residues in an oxidative reaction forming. the SH groups from each cysteine cross link. this usually occurs in distant parts of the amino acid sequence but adjacent in the 3D structure
what is the primary structure of proteins?
covalent bonds forming polypeptide chain - order of amino acid residues joined by peptide bonds
what is the secondary structure of proteins?
regular folded form, often stabilised by hydrogen bonds - e.g. alpha helices, beta sheets and beta turns
what is the tertiary structure of proteins?
overall 3D structure, stabilised by hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic, ionic and van der waals forces, and sometimes by intra-chain covalent bonds
what is the quaternary structure of proteins?
organisation of polypeptides into assemblies, stabilised by non-covalent bonds and sometimes by interchain covalent bonds
what happens as a result of protein misfolding?
function of misfolded protein is almost always lost and they often have a tendency to self-associate and form aggregates. others can result in cellular processing that leads to their degradation (cystic fibrosis)
what are diseases of protein misfolding?
Huntingdons, Alzheimers, Prion Protein, Parkinsons, AA amyloidosis, Type 2 Diabetes
what reasons can protein misfolding occur for?
- somatic mutations
- errors in transcription or translation
- failure of the folding
- mistakes of the post-transcriptional modifications or in trafficking of proteins
- structural modification
- induction of other protein misfolding
how does Alzheimers occur?
- proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein
- APP has multiple functions but is involved in G-protein signalling
- cleavage results in ~40 residue peptide
- in the intact molecule this anchors the protein in the membrane
- in alzheimers the β-Amyloid peptide accumulates
- misfolding of this results in a planar arrangement and polymerisation
- this can form fibrils of misfolded protein
- the β-Amyloid fibres are formed from stacked beta sheets in which the side chains interdigitate
- aggregation interferes with working of the synapse particularly in hippocampus
- higher order insoluble aggregates form (containing much crossed beta structures) which deposit in plaques causing damage to neuronal cells of brain
what are prions?
misfolded proteins that interact with other normal proteins. this interaction induces misfolding of the normal protein and polymerises
what do oligomers form and what is this process reliant upon?
form fibrils of misfiled protein. it is reliant upon the concept of energy minimisation
what forces influence protein structure and folding?
charging interactions, hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic, VdW, covalent
what is a structural motif?
a minimum arrangement of independently forming secondary structure combining to produce recognisable folds across many different proteins
what are examples of DNA binding motifs?
helix loop helix, helix turn helix, leucine zipper, zinc finger
what is the globin domain?
each chain of haemoglobin has a tertiary structure very similar to that of the single myoglobin chain, strongly suggesting evolution from a common ancestral O2-binding polypeptide. The globin domain is maintained in haemoglobin and haemoglobin-s. Glu is substituted with Val in the beta chains leading to polymerisation of deoxygenated haemoglobin
why does the Glu to Val substitution cause polymerisation of deoxygenated haemoglobin?
glu is hydrophilic whiles Val is hydrophobic
what is the modularity of motifs in transcription factors?
proteins that bind to DNA and regulate transcription. Many different TFs but they all contain a small number of conserved motifs. these motifs are conserved across all phyla i.e. huge varieties of eukaryotes ranging from fungi to plants and animals. these motifs form DNA binding domains that allow regulatory function of their respective proteins. these proteins are formed from homo and heterodimers
what is the role of alpha helices in binding?
can fit within the major groove of DNA. different DNA binding domains and motifs present the binding helix using different arrangements of the structural motifs
what is the helix-loop-helix motif?
- binds dna in dimeric form
- exists as homo and heterodimers
- the central portion formed overlapping helices form a structure that enables dimerisation
- the terminal part of the lower opposing helices contain basic amino acids that interact with the major groove of DNA - giving rise to the b/HLH
what is the leucine zipper motif?
- formed from 2 contiguous alpha helices
- dimeric protein formed from 2 polypeptide chains
- dimers zip together in the top stalk to form a short ‘coiled coil’
- coil is held together by hydrophobic interactions down opposing sides of the helix
- as in the b/HLH domain, basic amino acids dominate the lower part of the helix and interact with the DNA major groove
- heterodimerism expands the regulatory potential of leucine zippers
what is the helix-turn-helix motif?
- consists of 2 short helices orientated at right angles to each other and connected by a turn
- the motif is found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA binding proteins
- CRO protein = homodimer, recognises pellindromic sequence and by binding DNA represses transcription
- only the recognition helix interacts with the nucleotide sequence itself - other contacts are made with the phosphate backbone and like other DNA binding motifs it locates within the major groove
what is the zinc finger motif?
- alpha helix and beta sheet held together by non-covalent interactions with Zn
- alpha helix of each motif interacts with major groove of DNA and recognises a specific DNA sequence
what is the isoelectric point?
the pH of buffer at which a protein has no charge
if the pH
it is an acidic solution with a net positive charge
if the pH > pI…..
it is a basic solution with a net negative charge
what is the basic principle of electrophoresis?
it is the migration of charged particles (macromolecules) in an electric field
what is migration in electrophoresis based on?
size, shape and charge. Electrophoresis uses current and resistance
what are the two types of electrophoresis?
hoizontal (usually for agarose gel) and vertical (usually for polyacrylamide gel)
what is the apparatus needed for electrophoresis?
gel casting trays, sample combs, tank, power supply
what should electrophoresis apparatus ensure?
- uniform electric field across gel
- cooling to prevent thermal artefact
- access to gel loading and monitoring
what is the buffer there for in gel electrophoresis?
provides ions to carry current and to maintain relatively constant pH
what is agarose gel used for?
to separate large proteins >200kDa. has a relatively low resolving power
what does the buffer do in vertical slab electrophoresis?
- supplies current carrying ions in electrophoretic cell
- maintains desired pH
- provides medium for heat dissipation
what can buffer systems in vertical slab electrophoresis be classified as?
- continuous
- discontinuous
what is a continuous buffer?
uses same buffer in gel, sample and tank
what is a discontinuous buffer?
non-restrictive large-pore gel, resolving gel for greater resolution, have different buffers for stacking gel, resolving gel and tank buffer
what does the migration of a protein in an electric field depend on?
pH and pI
what is SDS-PAGE?
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis: most commonly used electrophoretic technique for separation
what is SDS?
a strong anionic detergent to solubilise, disassociate and denature most proteins to single polypeptide chains - disrupts H bonds and blocks hydrophobic interactions. includes disulphide bond cleaving agents
what is SDS-PAGE not suitable for?
small polypeptides and peptides of MW
what are detection methods in electrophoresis?
- protein staining
- fluorescent staining
- silver staining
- radioactive methods
when is native (non-denaturing) gel electrophoresis used?
mainly when native conformations are to be analysed. runs without SDS.
what is separation based on in native gel electrophoresis?
charge to size ratio and conformation/shape
what are the advantages of native gel electrophoresis?
- potential of separating proteins of identical MW
what is Serum Protein Electrophoresis (SPEP)?
SPEP measures specific binding proteins in blood. Uses electrical field to separate proteins into groups of similar size, shape and charge. Helps to identify diseases. Blood serum contains 2 major protein groups; albumin and globulins
what most commonly happens in haemoglobin electrophoresis?
pH range of 8-9 is the most commonly used buffer system. the majority of proteins will be negatively charged.
what are examples of chromatography separation techniques?
- salting in or out
- column exchange
- electrophoresis
- isoelectric focussing
what are types of column exchange chromatography?
- ion exchange
- gel filtration
- affinity
- reverse-phase HPLC
what is the definition of chromatography?
a separation method in which components partition between a moving phase and a stationary phase
what properties of proteins does chromatography utilise?
- charge distribution
- molecular size
- solubility
- binding properties
what is Ion Exchange Chromatograhy?
stationary phase is polymer (matrix) substituted with charged groups. acidic groups of resin interact with positively charged proteins and are called cation exchangers. if groups are basic in nature they interact with negatively charges molecules and are called anion exchangers.
what happens in IEX?
proteins will bind to an ion exchanger with different affinities. as the column is washed with buffer, proteins with relatively low affinities for the ion exchange resin will move through the column faster than the proteins that bind to the column. The greater the binding affinity of a protein for the ion exchange column, the more it will be slowed in eluting off the column. proteins can be eluted by changing the elution buffer to one with a higher salt concentration and/or a different pH
what is gel filtration chromatography (GFC) also known as?
size elusion chromatography, molecular sieve chromatography
what is GFC widely used for?
to purify biologically complex samples such as blood
what happens in GFC?
column consists of porous bead of dextran or agarose. separation is based on size and shape, with larger molecules eluting first, and smaller last.
what is elution volume (Ve)?
the volume of a solvent required to elute a given solute form the column after it has first contacted the gel
what is affinity chromatography (AC) used for?
AC is used to isolate antibodies, antigens, hormones and other proteins. Separation is baed on reversible interaction between target protein and specific ligand
what does AC require?
- beads matrix
- ligand (a molecule that specifically binds to the protein of interest)
- solution containing substance to be isolated
- a wash to elute non-bound substances
- final wash containing competitive ligand
how do you remove the protein of interest from the column in AC?
elute with a solution of a compound with higher affinity than the ligand (competitive). you can change the pH, ionic strength and/or temperature so that the protein-ligand complex is no longer stable
what is high performance liquid chromatography?
- highly improved form of column chromatography
- solvent is forced under pressure of 400 at the minute through column
- allows the use of smaller particle size for the column material, thus increasing surface area
- this allows much better separation of components
what are the components of HPLC?
reservoir of mobile phase, pump, an ejector, separation column and detector
what is normal phase chromatography?
has a polar stationary phase and a less polar mobile phase. the more polar the analyte, the greater the retention. increasing polarity of mobile phase, decreasing retention.
what is reverse phase chromatography?
the most widely used move of HPLC. separates molecules on the basis of hydrophobicity (non-polar stationary phase and polar mobile phase). in practice the non-polar functional group is ‘bonded’ to silica - “bonded phase chromatography”
what does the Y-axis on an HPLC graph represent?
the signal generated by molecules within the detector and may be proportional to the molecules concentration
what does the X-axis on a HPLC graph represent?
the time after injection of the molecules onto the column or the time after the gradient of buffers A and B was started
what are the advantages go HPLC?
- speed
- high resolution
- sensitivity
- reproducibility
- accuracy
- automation
what are the disadvantages of HPLC?
- cost
- complexity
- coelution
what is a gene?
a unit of heredity, containing instructions for an organism’s phenotype. DNA segment containing instructions for making a particular product including the regulatory elements
what are transcription factors?
proteins required to initiate or regulate transcription in eukaryotes. assemble on promoter to position RNA polymerase II. They pull apart the DNA helix and expose the template strand.
what is needed for gene-specific regulation of transcription?
additional upstream sequences
what are untranslated regions?
UTRs are transcribed but not translated.
5’ UTR - regulation of translation
3’ UTR - mRNA stability and miRNA binding
how is the primary transcript of RNA processed?
- capping
- polyadenylation
- splicing
what is capping?
- 5’ end modification
- guanine nucleotide - 5’-5’ triphosphate bridge, methylated at position 7
- capping enzyme complex
- co-transcriptional modification
what is polyadenylation?
- cleavage by specific endonuclease
- addition of tail by poly(A) polymerase
- polyadenylated mRNA precursor
what is splicing?
the removal of introns, joining exons
what are introns?
non-coding sequences within genes
what is a form of alternative splicing?
exon skipping in ~95% of genes
in what ways is differential gene expression regulated?
time (development and in response to hormones, infection and other signals) and space (different tissues or cell types express different gens)
what is the ‘big goal’ in the control of gene expression?
- the ability to isolate adult stem cells form all developmental compartments
- the ability to drive these cells to develop either in vivo or in vitro in a completely controlled manner so that we can regenerate tissues
- this well require a detailed and fundamental understanding of the control of gene expression
what is beta-thalassaemia?
a group of genetic diseases caused by insufficient expression of beta-globin. in most types of beta-thalassaemia then beta-globin protein is structurally normal (unlike sickle cell disease). there are multiple independently-arising forms of the disease. mutations cause beta-thalassaemia
what is the sequence of post-transcriptinal gene regulation?
- polyadenylation
- capping
- splicing
- translation
- RNA stability
what are examples of translational control?
- Early embryogenesis; during the first 4-8 cell division there is virtually no gene expression. at the end of blastocyst formation, the first genes to be expressed are due to up-regulation of translation form maternally derived pre-formed mRNAs
- environmental stress; exposure to heat shock or pathogens can cause global changes in translation
- there are many specific examples - e.g. ferritin
what does the 5’ UTR do?
doesn’t determine whether a ribosome binds but it does play a major role in determining how efficiently the ribosome initiates translocation (glob in: efficiently, ferritin: inefficiently)
what does the 3’ UTR play a role in?
determining the stability of the mRNA. it confers very different stabilities on mRNAs: glob in 3’ UTRs confer stability, immune stress hormones = very unstable mRNAs
how are intracellular iron levels controlled?
traslationally controlled, ferritin binds iron and retains it in the cytoplasm as a store for excess. we only need ferritin at times of iron excess.
what are miRNAs?
they are small non-coding RNAs which are transcribed by RNa polymerase II. they act to control the post-transcriptional regulation of as many as 1/3 of all human genes. any given miRNA can regulate several target genes. they are derived by processing from a larger precursor.
what is the transcriptome?
the segment of the eukaryotic genome that is transcribed (most of it is never transcribed). only a fraction of the transcriptome is transcribed at any one time.
what is a housekeeping gene?
one that is in every cell