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First about the \'normal\' protein: 1. What is the cellular environment? 2. What

ID: 205996 • Letter: F

Question

First about the 'normal' protein: 1. What is the cellular environment? 2. What does it do? Is anything known about the amino acids involved in its function? (Such information could be based on mutational studies or structural studies). s. What protein family does it belong to? (Gives 4. Are any post-translational modifications Then about the particular amino acid which is variant: you functional information.) expected? s. Is the position conserved across orthologues, and or paralogues? (suggest importance of the amino acid to the protein's function) 6. Where does the amino acid occur in the secondary structure? Could the mutation affect the secondary structure? 7. Is the amino acid involved in protein function? For example is it part of an active site and might it make contacts with a substrate?

Explanation / Answer

1.) The Ras protein acts as signal transducers between the membrane and other cellular structures. Ras molecules are present as inactive state in inneriface of plasma membrane and in golgi apparatus,bound to GDP. When much higher concentration of GTP is given in cellular environment, the next nucleotide to bind to Ras is GTP.

2.) K ras acts as molecular ON/OFF switch, using protein dynamics. K Ras binds to GTP in its active state. It also possesses an intrinsic enzymatic activity which cleaves the terminal phosphate of the nucleotide, converting it to GDP. Upon conversion if GTP to GDP, K ras is deactivated.

3.) It belongs to Ras family protein which belongs to class of protein called GTPase.

4.) K Ras undergoes the PTM frenylation which is a type of prenylation that involves adding an isoprenyl group to the C terminus where lipid is covalently attached to cystein residue of Ras protein.