Protein Synthesis Lab Conclusion

     There are two steps to making proteins.  The first step is transcription.  This is the process where RNA Polymerase reads and copies the DNA code, also called genes, for a protein as a mRNA copy.  In transcription, DNA unzips.  After DNA unzips, RNA Polymerase matches square nucleotides to make an RNA strand.  mRNA, or messenger RNA, is produced and leaves the nucleus and goes to the cytoplasm.  This is the beginning of the second step, translation.  Once the mRNA arrives at the ribosome, the ribosomes read mRNA three bases at a time and translates DNA language, nucleotides such as A, T, C, and G, into protein language, such as amino acids.  Each three base sequence of A, T, C, and G is known as a codon.  Each codon codes for one amino acid.  AUG is known as the start codon because it tells the ribosome to start translating.  There are also stop codons to tell the coding to stop.  As a result from this process, long chains of amino acids are made, which are known as primary structure.  Another thing is that the chain of amino acids twist and fold to combine with other chains of amino acids and become a protein.

Slonczewski, Joan L. Wikimedia Commons. Digital image. Wikimedia. Wikimedia, Web. 12 Dec. 2016. <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bacterial_Protein_synthesis.png>.

     Mutations are changes in the DNA code.  There are two different types of mutations.  Substitution is where one or two base pairs are changed.  These mutations are small and very common. The second mutation is frameshift mutation.  Insertion and deletion fall under the frameshift mutation umbrella.  Insertion is when one base pair is added in a spot of the DNA code and deletion is when one base pair is deleted from the DNA code.  The mutation that has the greatest effect on proteins is substitution.  Substitution can change one or two base pairs, but those two altered base pairs can change the amino acid, which affects which kind of amino acid it is.  If you substitute a base pair near the end, it would not matter as much because only the amino acids behind the mutation will be changed.  However, if the first base pair is substituted, the start codon may not exist.  For example, if you have AUG and change it to UUG, the code will never be coded unless there is another start codon in the code.  A code could also have changed the stop codon so where the stop codon does not exist.

RazielWraith. Gene Alterations. Digital image. Gene Alterations. Gene Alterations, Web. 12 Dec. 2016. <http://comicvine.gamespot.com/genetic-alterations/4015-55878/>.

     In step seven of my Protein Synthesis Lab, I chose one mutation to see how much that mutation altered the DNA code.  I chose one of the frameshift mutations, deletion, because I wanted to see how much one deleted base pair would change the DNA code.  Instead of choosing a random base pair in the middle of the gene, I decided to change the very first base pair.  I did this because I knew that this would affect the start codon.  With this mutation, the coding of DNA did not start coding until later on in the gene where there was another start codon.  Comparing this to the other mutations, this does not just change one amino acid, this affected the whole gene because the gene did not start coding where I wanted it to start.  The location of the mutation does matter, especially in frameshift mutations because the gene would not be affected much if I changed something in the middle of the gene, but it would change a lot of I did change the start or stop coding. 

     Mutations can affect our life because if we do not get coded the correct protein, humans would have ears on their feet and eyes would appear on your hands.  In order to keep eyes off your hands and ears off your feet, genes need to be expressed correctly which is called gene expression and regulation.  An example of a mutation that affects a normal persons life is called Progeria.  Progeria is a mutation that accelerates aging.  Most children that have this disorder have a die around the age of 13 but some can live up to the age of 20 years old.  The common death of this disease is a heart attack or stroke.  This mutation occurs in around one in eight million people.  This mutation attacks the LMNA gene, which is a protein that provides support to the cell nucleus.  Some examples of progeria may include rigid skin, boldness, growth impairment, grown abnormalities, and a "sculpted" nasal tip.

HBO. Picture of a person with progeria. Digital image. Gizmozo. Gizmozo, Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://io9.gizmodo.com/10-unusual-genetic-mutations-in-humans-470843733>.