Fish Phylogenetic Tree Based on Protein Size

This Lab Report is an analysis of the results of a two-part experiment. In the first part, we used a gel filtration column to separate the components of a mixture composed of protein and non-protein molecules. By doing so we hoped to obtain fractions that contained single components of the mixture, while also gaining insight into the relative molecular weight of each component compared to each other. We would then plot these fractions onto nitrocellulose paper in order to determine which fractions had protein. In the second part, we would use the fractions which we had determined had protein to conduct an SDS-PAGE. By doing so we hoped to determine an estimate on the molecular weight of the proteins present in each fraction by comparing it to a tracker dye composed of a variety of molecules of differing molecular weight.

Proteins are the basis of the protoplasm (fluid living content of the cell that contains the cytoplasm and cell nucleus) and are found in all living organisms. Proteins make up the bulk of animals body’s non-skeletal structure. As enzymes, they catalyze biochemical reactions; as antibodies, they prevent the effects of invading organisms; and as hormones, they control metabolic processes (C. Bissonnette, 2011). The Biuret test was used to detect the presence of peptide bonds within proteins, and they were found present in test tube #9 (control for peptide bonds).

Colorimetric assay is a process of determining a concentration of a solution based on absorbance of light. The purpose of this lab is to determine if the Bradford assay is an accurate way to determine an unknown concentration of two samples of protein. The Bradford assay is done by measuring wavelength of light passing through a cuvette filled with Bradford dye and concentrations of PBS and proteins. After the cuvettes are mixed they are placed into a spectrophotometer to measure wavelength. The wavelength given will be used to plot a standard curve based on concentration (x-axis) and wavelength (y-axis). The standard curve is then used to measure an educated guess on the concentrations of unknown protein concentrations. We hypothesized that if we use the Bradford assay and colorimetric spectrophotometry we can determine an accurate concentration of two unknown concentrations of proteins. The results of this lab failed to reject our hypothesis based on accurate measurements of protein concentrations. The standard curves are drawn with a linear increasing slope. The Bradford assay is an accurate way to demine the concentration of an unknown concentration.

Spectrophotometer; the finding of protein concentration of an unknown sample of BSA, and by using the standard curve.

3a. Body more than five times as long as broad; front edge of dorsal fin far

This technique separates Rubisco samples based on their size. The electrophoresis has a positive and a negative end. Positive charge proteins are loaded from the positive end and migrate towards the negative end. Negative charge proteins are loaded from the negative end and migrate towards the positive end (Sakthivel & Palani, 2016). The sample that contained the highest molecular weight of Rubisco will travel the shortest distance on the gel while the protein with the smallest molecular weight will travel the longest distance (Sakthivel & Palani, 2016). The size proportion of each Rubisco molecule correlates with the distance traveled. Rubisco will be in its purest form after running through SDS-page since each technique will increase the purity of the protein. If the salting out, the ion exchange and the SDS-page protein isolation techniques are performed on protein Rubisco, then it is purified and separated by solubility, charge, and size. The rationale of this experiment is to isolate the purest form of Rubisco so that it can perform carbon fixation at an optimal

d. You don’t know the molecular weight (MW) of protein X and you are not able to find that information in the scientific literature. The best way to determine the MW of a protein using an SDS-PAGE gel is to use the protein ladder bands to create a Log(MW) vs. Rf graph and calculate the MW from the line of best fit. What is the equation to calculate the Rf of a protein band? Make a table of the Log(MW) and the Rf values for all 5 protein ladder bands. Describe any trends you see in the table

Gel electrophoresis method. Qualitative analysis shows protein concentrations in kidney, heart, and liver. 1-6 are kidney tissue. 7-14 are liver and 15-19 are the heart tissue.

The phylogenetic tree was more of an evolutionary tree. It showed the evolution of the organisms and their ancestors or traits that they branched off of. The chart however just simply organizes and separates the organisms in similarity. The tree did not change the chart, the chart see similarities with structures between the modern day organisms and the tree shows their evolutionary linage. The tree reflected our taxonomic classification.

Proteins are important elements in cellular membranes and give the membranes many of their characteristics. In red blood cells, the meshwork of proteins in and around the membrane gives it strength and flexibility, allowing a cell to squeeze through small capillaries without bursting. Other proteins play roles in transporting material in and out of the cell (Lab Manual, Cell Biology). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), with all of its different modifications is probably the most widely-utilized procedure in contemporary biochemistry and molecular biology (Mordacq and Ellington (1994)). In this experiment, we will attempt to determine the molecular weights of the major proteins in the plasma membranes of bovine red blood cells (RBCs). The predictions made are if our protein has similar weights as proteins

Proteins are biological macromolecules made from smaller building units called amino acids. There are 20 natural occurring amino acids which can combine in various ways to form a polypeptide. There are four distinctive levels of protein structure: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary. The primary structure of a protein is important in determining the final three dimensional structure and hence the role and function of a particular protein, both in the human body and in life around us. The secondary structure of a protein can fall into two major categories; α-helices or β-sheets, other variants also exist such as β-turns {{20 Brändén, Carl-Ivar, 1934- 1991}}. The precise folding or these secondary structures into a three dimensional shape is known as the tertiary structure of a protein and multiple polypeptides bound together via covalent and non-covalent bonds forms the complex quaternary structure of a protein.

Proteins are polymeric chains that are built from monomers called amino acids. All structural and functional properties of proteins derive from the chemical properties of the polypeptide chain. There are four levels of protein structural organization: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. Primary structure is defined as the linear sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain. The secondary structure refers to certain regular geometric figures of the chain. Tertiary structure results from long-range contacts within the chain. The quaternary structure is the organization of protein subunits, or two or more independent polypeptide chains.

For the second part of the experiment, one had to use the knowledge learn from viewing protein molecules in FirstGlance in Jmol to analyze the protein PDB ID: 4EEY. The analysis of this protein was done using the RSCB protein data bank (PDB) at (http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/home/home.do).2

Campbell and Farrell define proteins as polymers of amino acids that have been covalently joined through peptide bonds to form amino acid chains (61). A short amino acid chain comprising of thirty amino acids forms a peptide, and a longer chain of amino acids forms a polypeptide or a protein. Each of the amino acids making up a protein, has a fundamental design that comprises of a central carbon or alpha carbon that is bonded to a hydrogen element, an amino grouping, a carboxyl grouping, and a unique side chain or the R-group (Campbell and Farrell 61).

Western Blotting can be used to detect the Myosin actin light chain in different species of fish and is used to distinguish from different species based on variation, commonality, or evolutionary divergence. First, proteins are extracted from the tissue and loaded into a gel matrix. The matrix will separate the proteins according to size using an electric current. Proteins that are separated after are blotted from the gel and onto a paper membrane. An antibody is then added to the membrane paper and causes a colored reaction. Following the reaction, the results