Proteins

COLLAGEN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

Activity

Read the information and view the graphics. Use this information to answer the following questions:

1. Describe the primary structure of collagen. What are the major amino acid components? Collagen is composed of three chains, wound together in tight triple helix. Each chain is over 1400 amino acides long. Every third amino acid is gycine, many remaining positions in the chain are filled by proline and a modified version of proline which is hydroxyproline.

2. What role does vitamin C play in collagen formation? What happens when a person does not get enough vitamin C in his or her diet? The reaction requires vitamin C to assist in the addition of oxygen. If we don’t get enough Vitamin C in our diet it slows the production of hydroxyproline and stops the construction of new collagen. This causes scurvy.

3. Describe the quaternary structure of collagen (the way in which the polypeptide chains are arranged).  Polypeptides are arranged in a way that it is a straight chain in a pattern.

Part 2.

Read the material in the sections entitled "Facts on Osteogenesis Imperfecta” and “Types of OI.” Use what you have learned to answer the following questions:

1. What is the main symptom of osteogenesis imperfecta?  What are some other symptoms that people with OI may have? The main symptoms of OI are muscle weakness, hearing loss, fatigue, joint laxity, curved bones, scoliosis, blue sclerae, dentinogenesis imperfecta (brittle teeth), and short stature. Other symptoms of OI are easy bruising and bleeding and breathing problems.

2. Type I osteogenesis imperfecta causes fewer problems than the other forms. How does the collagen structure in Type I OI differ from that of the other types? The collagen in type 1 is different from the other types of OI because in type one the collagen is normal.

Read the handout in the resources section on Bone Structure (opens in Acrobat Reader).

1. Describe the role of collagen in bones. Why do collagen problems lead to bone problems?

 collagen is a main part of the bone if something goes wrong with it then the bone will have problems.

THE TEST.

So, I studied really hard for the mid-term in here and I don't know if I did well. I really liked how Mr. Ludwig put the practice tests on the computer because it really helped me out and I hope he does that for every test we have in here. I had outlined chapters two and three for the test as well and I felt prepared for the exam but the practice tests seemed to be the cherry on top! I kind of wish all of my classes were taught in this form of learning because I know if a math class was in this form of teaching I would probably really like math. I tell you the truth, I was nervous about taking this class because I thought I would fall behind and not know what Mr. Ludwig was teaching. I never thought I would end up with an A in this class. I'm really interested in science now and I like to learn new things, from learning about proteins and macromolecules to experimenting in the lab I learn something new everyday. And I love coming home to my mom and telling her all of these new things I know and want to learn more about! It's really great!

Fruit loops

Last week we made macromolecules out of cereal (fruit loops actually) which was quite fun! I learned how the molecule is formed and how some are long strings while others are in a big mess. We also played a game on how to make a molecule and it was sort of confusing but after awhile I got the hang of it! I really like hand on activities in class I seem to learn more when I'm actually doing it myself. It's actually really cool how each molecule is never the same looking around the room at the different models some have different color patters some random patterns and some are twisted or straight. It's all just a random mess of fruit loops that in a way teaches us how molecules are formed and how they look. I kind of wonder if there is a molecule that has the same pattern and the exact same shape in the world?? If so what would it look like?

Technology :)

I used to hate making concept maps on the computer because I could never get the bubbles together or work it all out so that my info was organized. But today technology and I had a connection I actually got my work done without frustration and anger towards whoever made computers. If you know me I like to do things the old fashion way if there is a way to just use a pencil and paper to make something I will do it. But I'm proud of myself that I am getting used to using all of this new technology in class! My concept map  I started today was on carbohydrates and I used my outline on chapter three that I did last night to help me organize the information. It's hard to believe but I feel that I know more about carbohydrates than I did yesterday!!!

Food Lab

Yesterday we did a food lab where we added iodine and benedict to each food to see the reaction. We as a group found that most of the sugary foods such as our Skittles and our Double- bubble gum had the biggest reactions. The Iodine mostly turned the Skittles and gum into a black sort of color and the benedict in boiling water turned the candy into a bright orange color. I would like to find out what would happen if we did the same lab only with sugar free gum and sugar free candy. Would it have the same reaction or a different?? What is the difference between sugar and sugar free candy? I felt like this lab was really fun and I liked working with the people I had in my lab. I feel that doing labs in this class helps me to visually see what we are learning about in the classroom. I am mostly a visual learner so it helps to actually see the reactions than read about it on a web page or a book. :)