SCI 1015 JWU DNA to Disease Questions

Week 5 Assignment: DNA to DiseaseDirections
We’ve learned that DNA is the genetic material that organisms inherit from their
parents, but have you ever thought about what exactly this DNA encodes? How do
our cells use DNA as a set of instructions for life? How is the information in our DNA
used by our bodies? And what happens when the DNA is mutated or not used
properly? We will examine these questions by looking at the proteins encoded by
various DNA sequences and learning about the diseases those proteins can cause.
Follow the step below carefully, filling out the information as you go.
1. Select your DNA strand according to your last name.
•
Last Names A-D: tacgagtgtaagtaccggagactgtcgctccttcttcacacacta
•
Last Names E-K: tacctacataagtactttcctgaaagtttccggttcctccctcaa
•
Last Names L-R: tacgcgaaggcgaaaccccaccaccacggtgggcggcaccggccg
•
Last Names S-Z: tacgtaaccccttgggacacgcctaagaacaccgaaaccgggata
2. Convert your DNA sequence into a complementary mRNA sequence.
DNA sequence:
mRNA sequence:
Example:
DNA:
TACGGCTAG
mRNA:
AUGCCGAUC
3. Determine the codon sequence.
Codon sequence: ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
Example:
mRNA:
AUGCCGAUC
Codons:
AUG
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CCG
AUC
4. Translate the codon sequence into an amino sequence. Use the chart provided.
Amino acid sequence:
______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
Example:
Codons:
Amino Acids:
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AUG
CCG
AUG
Methionine
Proline
Isoleucine
5. Write out the one-letter abbreviations for the amino acids in the sequence. Use
the chart provided.
Abbreviated amino acid sequence: ________________________________
AMINO ACID
abbreviation
AMINO ACID
abbreviation
Alanine
A
Leucine
L
Arginine
R
Lysine
K
Asparagine
N
Methionine
M
Aspartic acid
D
Phenylalanine
F
Cysteine
C
Proline
P
Glutamine
Q
Serine
S
Glutamic acid
E
Threonine
T
Glycine
G
Tryptophan
W
Histidine
H
Tyrosine
Y
Isoleucine
I
Valine
V
6. Go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/BLAST/ and choose Protein BLAST.
7. Enter the one-letter abbreviations for your amino acid sequence in the SEARCH
box – be sure to enter them in the correct order!
8. Scroll down and click on the “BLAST” button.
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10. When the results page loads, scroll down to the list of proteins that matched
your sequence and enter its name below. Hint: it will be one of the proteins in
the following list.
Protein:
Possible Proteins
Presenilin 2
BRCA 2
Synuclein
Dystrophin
Laforin
Apolipoprotein E
Leptin
11. Now do an internet search with the name of your protein to find out which
disease your protein is involved in.
This protein is involved in the following disease:
12. Write a brief paragraph explaining the disease caused by this protein or a
mutation in this protein in your own words. Provide citations for any sources
you use.
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