Questions tagged [proteins]
Biopolymers consisting of amino acids that fold into 3D shapes and perform a large number of functions in living organisms.
948
questions
0
votes
2
answers
84
views
Is retinoblastoma truly an autosomal dominant condition?
I am getting, in my opinion, very conflicting information from sources about the inheritance of retinoblastoma, a type of cancer. Hereditary retinoblastoma is associated with defects in the gene ...
2
votes
0
answers
18
views
Comparison of different glassy matrices for protein immobilization at room temperature
I am completely new to protein biology experiments. I care about experiments where proteins are immobilized near a surface with the help of a glassy matrix or similar materials.
I am looking for a ...
2
votes
2
answers
86
views
Examples of passive membrane transport proteins that only transport in one direction and their mechanism
I would like to know about those transporters with alternating-access-type mechanism, that can only efficiently shuttle molecules in one direction but the other direction is severely kinetically ...
2
votes
1
answer
596
views
Is there are theoretical limit to the number of proteins possible and their respective structure?
I saw an article saying that DeepMinds AI has catatogued every protein known to science. I guess "known to science" and what is the theoretical limit is not exactly the same thing but the ...
13
votes
1
answer
840
views
Does the recent concern over several papers about Aβ*56 call into question the association of Alzheimers Disease with any amyloyd beta oligomer forms?
The news item by Charles Piller just published in Science BLOTS ON A FIELD? A neuroscience image sleuth finds signs of fabrication in scores of Alzheimer’s articles, threatening a reigning theory of ...
1
vote
0
answers
22
views
What is the relationship between stress granules and circular RNAs?
I have read that circRNAs act as sponges for miRNAs and that stress granules help reduce chronic cellular stress and they are composed of proteins and RNAs. I'm interested in the relationship between ...
0
votes
0
answers
40
views
What came first: the ribosome in which RNA is read, or the RNA to encode for the ribosome proteins? [duplicate]
It's a bit like the chicken-and-egg problem. Ribosomes need proteins because they are partially made of them. Where can they get their proteins? They read the base sequence in mRNA entering them, ...
3
votes
0
answers
77
views
Does the SARS-CoV2 spike protein passively diffuse through the nuclear pore complex?
I found this thread which is worth reviewing as context to my question(s) since there is some overlap in potential discussion, although it's concern is with mRNA ingress rather than spike protein.
...
8
votes
1
answer
229
views
How does tetracycline transactivator localize to the nucleus? Where is the nuclear localization signal?
Proteins typically use a nuclear localization signal (NLS) to localize to the nucleus. Tetracycline transactivator (TTA) needs to work in the nucleus, but I did not find an NLS in the structure.
...
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why is protein turnover necessary or important for cells to function?
Cells constantly create new proteins in order to maintain their normal function, this is called protein turnover.
Why is that? Do the old molecules wear out as time passes, so that they need a ...
3
votes
0
answers
66
views
Is CRISPR mediated RNA editing less specific and less efficient than DNA editing?
According to this diagram, the high efficiency and the high specificity of CRISPR lies in its reversible binding with the target DNA. The Cas protein unzips the target DNA and have the gRNA to base ...
4
votes
0
answers
35
views
What is the median concentration of spike antigen in COVID positive patients?
I am searching for the plasma spike concentration in COVID patients. The closest possible reference I found claims that spike was only detectable in 5 of 64 COVID-19 positive patients.
However, their ...
4
votes
1
answer
184
views
Spectroscopic methods for quantifying peptides/proteins with or without Tryptophan or Tyrosine content
I have several peptides (20-50 amino acids long) which I want to quantify the solubility/concentration in a solvent at certain temperature and pH.
These peptides may or may not contain Tryptophan or ...
1
vote
4
answers
215
views
How to look for different transcripts for a protein?
I am trying to find all the different transcripts for a protein that translate into different isoforms of the protein.
However, when I look it up online, there is no clear organized data on different ...
5
votes
1
answer
262
views
What's the best way to purify my His tagged protein? Supernatant super viscous after first sonication?
I am trying to purify my his-tagged protein of interest, disulfide isomerase. It is about 40kDa and is cloned in pET28a vector, at XholI and NdelI, and expressed in BL21.
I'm having issues with my ...
3
votes
0
answers
45
views
Mass spectrometry: What is meant by the 'most intense peptide ions' in data dependent acquisition (DDA) mode?
I am learning about data dependent acquisition (DDA) mode in mass spectrometry from this online resource. I have come across the following statement:
In DDA mode, the mass spectrometer selects the ...
1
vote
0
answers
88
views
What are protein iBAQ abundance values in SWATH mass spectrometry?
I am reading a journal paper where they used SWATH mass spectrometry to quantify the abundance of proteins in synaptosomes isolated from different species. I am trying to determine whether some ...
3
votes
1
answer
239
views
What is meant by ‘local structure’ of proteins?
The EBI/EMBL training course includes the following definition of Secondary structure of proteins:
Secondary structure refers to the regular, local structure of the protein backbone, stabilized by ...
3
votes
2
answers
129
views
Does alternative splicing contribute to the diversity of enzymes?
I understand the role of alternative splicing in generating protein diversity, but for enzymes specifically, is alternative splicing responsible for the diversity of it? My professor told me something ...
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why do some amino acids have more synonymous codons than others?
In the standard genetic code (above), tryptophan and methionine are coded for by a single codon, other amino acids such as phenylalanine by two codons, isoleucine by three codons, and some by four or ...
2
votes
0
answers
67
views
Do some plant proteins have no domains?
I've always been under the impression that all proteins consist of at least one domain (with the exception of intrinsically disordered proteins). However, I've come across some things which challenge ...
0
votes
1
answer
65
views
In enhanced chemiluminescence in western blots, will the horseradish peroxidase eventually get used up?
I am learning about enhanced chemiluminescence in Western blots. I have read online that in enhanced chemiluminescence that horseradish peroxidase (HRP) catalyses the oxidation of luminol to 3-...
1
vote
0
answers
47
views
is pepsin able to break down proteins into amino acids in human stomach? [closed]
I'm trying to find out if pepsin can break down proteins into amino acids after they are converted to peptides. Is pepsin able to separate amino acid monomers from the peptides?
can you please show me ...
2
votes
1
answer
158
views
Does mass spectrometry data have units?
I am reading some journal papers about the proteome of certain brain structures. In these papers, they used mass spectrometry to identify the proteins that were present in the brain structure as well ...
2
votes
1
answer
149
views
Can cell adhesion molecules have intrinsic enzymatic activity?
I am learning about cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and I know that they mediate cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion via homophilic and heterophilic interactions. I have read that CAMs ...
1
vote
1
answer
229
views
Western blot trouble shooting - low voltage and yellow sponges during/after transfer
I have a western blot troubleshooting question that I haven't been able to find the answer to in manufacturer troubleshooting guides.
As a bit of background, I was transferring 2 western blots ...
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What do the colors mean in representations of amino acids?
I've seen sequences of amino acids depicted using colors, which I imagine correspond to whether the side chain is charged, etc. I can't figure this out, though, and I'm not a biologist or biochemist. ...
-1
votes
1
answer
60
views
mRNA vaccines: Can a spike protein by itself have different side-effects than the virus itself? [duplicate]
I was wondering, is it possible for the isolated spike protein, as resulting from an mRNA vaccine, to cause harmful side effects in an individual, that would not have developed in that individual if ...
1
vote
0
answers
20
views
Should Secondary Antibody Bind better through adsorption than using an EDC Linker?
Recently, I conducted an experiment to compare the use of EDC versus passive adsorption.
I attempted to immobilize goat anti-rabbit HRP secondary antibody to Carboxylated polystyrene beads via EDC ...
0
votes
1
answer
72
views
Slightly different sequences returned by BLASTP
Probably this is very trivial but I am self-learning bioinformatics and I don't know who to ask for this kind of stuff. Also, apparently it is really hard to find information on general topics like ...
0
votes
2
answers
78
views
Where can I get info about A. thaliana proteins' locations?
I have a list of A. thaliana proteins and I'd like to know their location in the cell. I've found SUBA but they seem not to share their dataset and only allow queries through their website. It's ...
3
votes
1
answer
511
views
Arrangement of Amino Acids in the Protein alphabet
I am a software engineer with little knowledge of molecular biology. However I am trying to understand some bioinformatics computer code where the protein alphabet appears to be represented as the ...
1
vote
0
answers
66
views
What protein(s) bind together the calcium carbonate tiles in abalone shell to give it strength?
The articles that I've been able to find on the structure of abalone shells mention that they consist of calcium carbonate plates connected by proteins, but don't name the proteins. These proteins are ...
3
votes
1
answer
317
views
What other sites do non-competitive inhibitors bind to apart from allosteric sites?
I learned competitive inhibition and non-competitive inhibition.
My teacher told me that we should say that non-competitive inhibitors bind to somewhere on the enzyme apart from active sites.
I ...
3
votes
0
answers
81
views
How many of each structural component of SARS-CoV-2 are there?
I'm interested in the composition of SARS-CoV-2, including how many copies of each protein are present in an assembled virus, as well as the overall mass and density. There are a few recent papers ...
0
votes
0
answers
80
views
How are some exotoxins heat-stable, despite being proteins?
While studying microbiology, I came across bacterial exotoxins and endotoxins. It's understandable that endotoxins are lipopolysaccharides and hence heat stable.
Exotoxins are proteins and hence heat ...
1
vote
0
answers
61
views
How many different proteins are able to form prions?
The Wikipedia article on prions and other sources seem to only talk about variants of PrP protein.
I think I remember a previous version of Wikipedia saying something about another protein able to ...
1
vote
1
answer
152
views
Number of membrane proteins of a particular type per cell
Is it possible (or meaningful) to count how many proteins (protein copy number?) of a certain type a given cell has on its surface?
For instance, say there is some membrane integral protein ...
2
votes
1
answer
94
views
Why are IMAC and gel filtration combined?
In a practical course I used an Biorad Profina system to purify a protein with a histidine tag.
The device uses a column for IMAC and one for gel filtration. Why are these two devices combined in one? ...
8
votes
1
answer
302
views
How do non-ionic polymers help precipitate proteins?
Some non-ionic polymers (e.g. chitosan and polyethylene glycol) are also commonly used as protein precipitating agents. What is the principle of protein precipitation resulting from the addition of ...
2
votes
2
answers
502
views
Does baking soda interfere with digestion when cooked into food?
Baking soda is useful for tenderizing meats and leavening baked goods. In the case of meats, it allegedly breaks down proteins/amino acids.
However, does this usage pose a risk to digestion? Could the ...
0
votes
0
answers
55
views
Do transcription factors need to undergo extensive post-translational modification?
Some proteins need additional processing to become fully functional, for example NiFe-hydrogenases need to be cleaved by endopeptidases for some of their subunits to be active.
Is it known whether ...
3
votes
0
answers
92
views
Do egg-whites dry as right-handed helices?
Do egg-whites dried at cool temperatures form mostly right-handed helices, and if so is there an explanation for this? Because there is so much (mostly crystal-related) research a quick search did not ...
-1
votes
1
answer
76
views
Intelligence of nervous system vs other human intelligence? [closed]
Viral proteins are shown to be used in intelligence such as for memory: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180111141450.htm
I wondered since proteins able to form prions are the most ...
4
votes
1
answer
128
views
Why would this viral strain-specific antiserum fail to immunoprecipitate the same (98% identical protein) from another strain?
I'm reading this paper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC392475/ and I can't work out why a certain immune serum didn't work on the same viral protein but from different strains.
The serum ...
0
votes
1
answer
273
views
Predicting protein folding with Alphafold
I’m trying to figure out how to use Alphafold, which is a biological analysis software for predicting the folding of amino acid sequences. I’ve been trying to follow the directions on the creators’ ...
0
votes
0
answers
27
views
Ways to predict the preservation of functional domains in fusion proteins
My lab is synthetically creating fusion proteins consisting of an enzyme attached to a zinc finger through a linker. We can attach the zinc finger to the enzyme at either its N-terminus or its C-...
5
votes
2
answers
889
views
Meaning of ‘motif’ in molecular biology
I would like to understand the meaning of the term motif as used in molecular biology.
In an article in Nature Biotechnology, Patrik D’haeseleer states:
Sequence motifs are short, recurring patterns ...
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How does the shape of a protein determine its function?
There is currently much interest in protein folding and the problems in predicting how the sequence of amino acids determines how proteins fold into specific shapes. Accounts of this generally mention ...
29
votes
4
answers
4k
views
What is 'protein' in food?
I know that proteins perform a lot of functions and as a result there are a lot of different types of proteins in our bodies. When I eat food that has x grams of 'protein', what is this? A homogenous ...