Task
Each student will be assigned a 4 digit/letter PDB ID by Prac 1. Your assigned PDB ID will be the 3D structure of an enzyme that is part of a metabolic pathway that you will study in this course or wilt represent other abundant protein families such as DNA binding proteins (e.g., transcription factors).
You will be required to research your protein and then synthesize a very concise answer to 5 questions that will show your understanding of protein structure and function.
Your ability to answer the questions with sufficient detail will reflect whether you actually consulted the original research paper that the PDB structure was published in.
These 5 questions are graded from "easy to hard".
Remember you must stay within the 500 total word limit. References in Harvard style are required.
What is the name of the protein?
What does the protein do? E.g., if it an enzyme of the Citric Acid Cycle - you must state which metabolic process it is involved in and the reaction step it catalyses.
What are the structural features of the protein?
In answering this question you must address the following:
- You MUST show a 3-dimensional structure of your protein
- You must describe the structural features of your protein - primary & secondary structure features, the three-dimensional fold.
- Does your protein have quaternary structure?
What are 2 features of your protein's structure that makes it different or similar to adult haemoglobin?
Based on the structural properties of your protein, how resistant (or sensitive) would your protein be heat denaturation and why?