In the reading, E. Coli was used to isolate the PrP. It was difficult at first because of the instability and solubility level of the protein (PrP). There were also problems in the combination of E. Coli and PrP because … Continue reading
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, or prion diseases are the result of proteins trying to fold properly but getting it wrong. When proteins get it wrong in mammals it can lead to horrible diseases such as Kuru which causes people to slowly … Continue reading
I have always known that protein is necessary for the human body to function. We ingest meat, fish, cheese, tofu, beans, eggs, yogurt/milk, soy, and nuts (the top 10 most protein-rich foods) to give our bodies energy. But how exactly … Continue reading
As we looked at the models of proteins in our last class, I was very interested in the model that represented the protein that allows certain jellyfish to glow-in-the-dark. The green fluorescent protein is made of 238 amino acids. Green … Continue reading
As we learned from the videos last week, proteins are some of the most important components of our bodies. A protein is complex; it has four structures – a primary one that orders the amino acids in a protein, a … Continue reading
As Susan Lindquist noted the history of Mad Cow Disease in her video, my mind has wandered to the social occurrences which accompany diseases and plagues that have wiped out many peoples throughout history. As I further questioned the origination … Continue reading
The analogy in the short video assigned for this week comparing amino acids to words and proteins to paragraphs really helped me understand the differences in primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures. As we learned in class, there are many … Continue reading
Hemoglobin is an important substance in the body. It is an iron-rich protein that helps transport oxygen around the body. A disease that results from problems with hemoglobin is sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary disease. It … Continue reading
When certain proteins are exposed to heat or chemicals, they become denatured, i.e. change state or qualities. Their secondary and tertiary structures are disrupted, while it’s primary structure still remains intact. For instance, when you boil an egg, the protein … Continue reading
Last week we learned about primary structures of proteins: the order of their amino acids. We know that the secondary and tertiary structure of the prion protein causes it to be normal versus infectious, so I was curious about the … Continue reading