2009 Skills for Success Workshop

By Xiaomin and Jianzhuang
Introduction: Wnt proteins form a family of highly conserved secreted signaling molecules
that regulate cell-to-cell interactions during embryogenesis. Wnt proteins bind to
receptors of the Frizzled and LRP families on the cell surface. Mutations in Wnt genes or
Wnt pathway components lead to specific developmental defects, while various human
diseases, including cancer, are caused by abnormal [...]

Goup:
Ben Ernest, Joel Bucci, Letitia Olson
Intro:
Cytochrome C oxidase is an enzyme in the electron transport chain that catalyzes electron transfer to reduce oxygen to water.  This reaction produces protons, which are then used to power the ATP synthases
Reference:
Axel Harrenga and Hartmut Michel. The Cytochrome c Oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans Does Not Change the Metal Center [...]

Intro:
This particular enzyme is an oxidative enzyme that imparts bioluminescence to the firefly Photinus pyralis. In research, the enzyme is used to study anesthetic-protein interactions.
Ref:

Structural basis for the inhibition of firefly luciferase by a general anesthetic.
Franks, N.P.,  Jenkins, A.,  Conti, E.,  Lieb, W.R.,  Brick, P. Biophys.J. v75 pp. 2205-11, 1998
Image:

Interpretation: Most of the [...]

Intro: Gyrase is a protein involved in maintaining the negative supercoiled structure of DNA. It is a two subunit protein and its function in DNA is ATP dependent. Because of its function gyrase is involved in many DNA associated processes including replication, transcription and repair.
DNA Gyrase: Structure and Function
Reece, R.J.; Maxwell, A
Crit Rev Biochem Mol [...]

LHCII- Light Harvesting Complex II is part of photosynthesis in higher plants, algae and some bacteria. It is the primary chlorophyll binding protein, andis associated with both of the Photosystems. LHCII also controls the lamellar structure of the thylakoid membrane.  It exists as a trimer its natural state composed of a varying combination of three LHCII [...]

Dylan, Ellen, Stephen, and Jerreme
Alcohol Dehydrogenase
Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of alcohols to aldehydes or ketones and a reduction of NAD+ to NADH.  ADH is advantageous to humans because it prevents alcohol toxicity by breaking down alcohol. ADH oxidizes only secondary and tertiary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones with the [...]

Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)
It’s a protein that glows green when exposed to blue light.  It comes from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria.  It is often used in experiments as a reporter gene.  We chose it because it GLOWS!!!
PBD ID: 2g6e
Sources:
http://www.pdb.org/pdb/explore.do?structureId=2G6E#
http://www.pdb.org/pdb/static.do?p=education_discussion/molecule_of_the_month/pdb42_1.html
Looked at chain A in jmol
Species source Aequoria victoria (jellyfish), expressed in E. coli
If we could have [...]