Question 1) You join a research lab as an undergraduate researcher and your ment

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Question 1) You join a research lab as an undergraduate researcher and your mentor in the lab hands you a peptide which has an amino acid sequence (in one-letter code): MICHIGAN
The main reason your mentor synthesized MICHIGAN peptide is because she wants to use it in a biochemical experiment to inhibit an enzyme called Ohiostatase, which normally catalyzes a reaction at a pH of 7.6. However, as soon as you adjust the pH of a solution of purified MICHIGAN peptide to pH 7.6, the peptide precipitates out of solution. Why do you think this happens? (1 point)

Explanation / Answer

First of all, it is a good question. It is said that the peptide MICHIGAN is used to inhibit an enzyme called Ohiostatase. so will be having a definite structure associated with it. That is there will be an interaction between amino acids such as pure ionic interaction, hydrogen bonding, dipole interactions, van der Waals forces and hydrophobic interactions. We are adjusting the ph by adding salt such as HCl to increase acidity to decrease in ph and NaOH to increase in basicity that is to increase in ph. Due to this salt content, the water in the protein solvation shell causes disruption and lead to precipitation of the peptide. This process is called salting out. The salt can enter the hydrophobic patches formed thus lead to the disruption of the patches, the effect of salt concentration on protein or peptide can be explained by the equation "lnS = c".

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