BASI M01L12 Gene Expression III - Post-translational Modifications and Molecular Biology Techniques

Chaperones/“ heat-shock proteins”

interact with polypeptides during folding to ensure proper 3-D structure and use ATP energy to catalyze the proper folding of proteins

Alpha-crystallin

prevents aggregation of misfolded proteins by holding them in a partially folded state to help maintain lens transparency (prevent cataracts)

Disulfide bridge formation

helps with protein folding and structure

Phosphorylation

removes negative charge

Acetylation

removes positive charge

Protein Trafficking

process of moving proteins from the ER through the Golgi and beyond

Proteasome

large complex of proteins that typically degrades misfolded and short-lived proteins

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

method for the amplification of specific sequences of DNA from a large, complex source

Gel electrophoresis

uses the charged nature of macromolecules to move them in an electrical field with porous material allowing the molecules to be separated as smaller molecules tend to move more rapidly through a meshwork than larger molecules

Southern blotting

used to detect specific DNA fragments using a DNA probe

Northern blotting

used to detect specific RNA fragments using a DNA probe

Western blotting

used to detect specific proteins, antibodies to that protein are used since they will specifically bind to the protein of interest

Southwestern blot

used to detect whether a sample contains a protein that can bind to a specific DNA sequence using a gel