ERIC Number: EJ759054
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Jul
Pages: 5
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1470-8175
EISSN: N/A
Evolution of Protein Lipograms: A Bioinformatics Problem
White, Harold B., III; Dhurjati, Prasad
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, v34 n4 p262-266 Jul 2006
A protein lacking one of the 20 common amino acids is a protein lipogram. This open-ended problem-based learning assignment deals with the evolution of proteins with biased amino acid composition. It has students query protein and metabolic databases to test the hypothesis that natural selection has reduced the frequency of each amino acid specifically in the enzymes required for its biosynthesis. Student groups work in parallel on different amino acids and share strategies. Aside from content objectives that integrate knowledge of protein structure, function, synthesis, and evolution, this problem incorporates oral and written presentations, statistical analysis, and substantial decision making. The point of the problem described here is that a deficiency or absence of a particular amino acid in a protein may be more than a chance occurrence and may be driven by natural selection. The challenge is to demonstrate the difference.
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Statistical Analysis, Problem Based Learning, Autism, Decision Making, Biochemistry, Information Retrieval, Databases, Science Instruction, Molecular Biology, Molecular Structure
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Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher; Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A