Ckaplan Week 2
Contents
Lab report Week 2:
Aipotu II: Biochemistry
Purpose:
The purpose of this Aipotu learning lab: Biochemistry: was to explore the expression of alleles in flowers through self and cross breeding a multitude of colors. The colors of the flowers included red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black. The job of my lab partner and I was to find the amino acid sequence that coded for and produced a purple flower.
Combined Methods/Results (Electronic Lab Notebook):
- Notes:
Writing the individual letters of the amino acids and clicking fold made each colored allele combination.
- Blue 1 and Red 1 crossed made purple flowers.
- Yellow 1 and Purple 1 crossed made orange.
- Red and green 1 made black
- Green and Red made Purple.
- Yellow and Red made all orange.
- Yellow and white makes all yellow.
- Green and white makes a mix of blue and yellow.
True breeding alleles: Green 1, white, red, yellow, blue- alleles for the colors
True breeding:
CgCg green CrCr red CwCw white CbCb blue CyCy yellow
- Questions:
a) Which proteins are found in each of the four starting organisms?
- Green 1:MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTyrTrpArgGln
- Green 2: Combination of Blue MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTyrCysArgGln and yellow MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTrpCysArgGln
- Blue: MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTyrCysArgGln
- Yellow: MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTrpCysArgGln
- Red: MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValPheCysArgGln
- White: MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValValCysArgGln
b) Allele, color, and amino acid sequence
- Alleles:
- Green
- Blue
- Purple
- Yellow
- White
- Red
- Colors: same as corresponding alleles
- Green
- Blue
- Purple
- Yellow
- White
- Red
Amino acid sequence: in order of listed colors
- MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTyrTrpArgGln
- MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTyrCysArgGln
- MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTyrPheArgGln
- MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTrpCysArgGln
- MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValValCysArgGln
- MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTyrPheArgGln
c) What features of a protein make it colored? Proteins can have color because of special amino acids like tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. These amino acids have aromatic rings that can absorb UV light. When proteins have these amino acids next to one another, they can absorb more UV light, especially in the UV-Vis spectrum. This makes them fluorescent and show different colors. The color depends on the kinds of amino acids and how they're arranged in the protein.
d) What features of the amino acid sequence make a protein a particular color? The color of a protein depends on how aromatic amino acids are arranged in its sequence. To make the protein show color, these amino acids need to be in specific spots where they can interact well with the surrounding amino acids. If there are changes in other positions of the amino acid sequence, it can mess up how the amino acids interact, and the protein might not show its color even if it has these special amino acids. So, where these special amino acids are placed in the sequence really matters for the protein to have its unique color.
e) How do the colors combine to produce an overall color? How does this explain the genotype-phenotype rules you found in part I? When a color has only one type of gene and mates or self crosses with itself, it will always show that color. For instance, Green-1, with just a green gene, consistently displays the green color when self-crossed. On the other hand, if a color has two genes and is self-crossed, it can reveal various colors. Green-2, with two genes, would have self-crossing that results in flowers with green, yellow, and blue shades. Additionally, when true breeding colors with matching traits are crossed, new colors can emerge. The overall display of color relies on the genetic differences between the organisms involved in the mating process. While a specific genetic composition consistently leads to a particular appearance, that same appearance can be observed across different genetic compositions.
f) Show your purple protein and explain why it is purple. MetSerAsnArgHisIleLeuLeuValTyrPheArgGln is the amino acid sequence for the purple protein pictured above. The protein takes on a purple color because it contains two aromatic amino acids, Tyr and Phe, positioned in the 10th and 11th spots. These amino acids have aromatic rings that boost absorbance by allowing electrons within the ring to freely move along their bonds. This heightened absorbance capability is what allows the protein to showcase the color purple.
Scientific Conclusion
In conclusion, the color of proteins is connected to how aromatic amino acids are arranged in their sequences. Specifically, the protein's purple color results from the positioning of two aromatic amino acids, Tyr and Phe, at the 10th and 11th positions. These amino acids possess aromatic rings, increasing absorbance by allowing electrons to freely move along their bonds. This enhanced absorbance, particularly in the ultraviolet-visible spectrum, allows the protein to display its distinctive purple color.
References and Acknowledgements
Except for what is noted above, this individual journal entry was completed by me and not copied from another source.
References
LMU BioDb 2024. (2024). Week 2. Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://xmlpipedb.cs.lmu.edu/biodb/spring2024/index.php/Week_2
Aipotu. (2024). Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://aipotu.umb.edu/
I worked with my homework partner Katherine Mill. We communicated through iMessage.
Except for what is noted above, this individual journal entry was completed by me and not copied from another source.
