Week 2 HW: DNA Reading
I was thinking of choosing between two proteins
- Titin (also known as connectin) which is the largest known protein encoded by the TTN gene. In humans it accounts for 0.5kg of body weight! Titin is important in muscle cells, acting as a molecular spring. It is the third most abundant protein in muscles, giving them their elasticity, structural integrity, and stability.
- Green fluorescent protein or GFP which is found in the crystal jelly or hydromedusa (Aequorea Victoria), as well as various species of coral, sea anemones, and crustaceans. GFP is often used as a reporter gene in cell as well as molecular biology.
Scientists have created many organisms which can express GFP which is thusly a proof of concept that a gene can be expressed by a given organism. This protein has been introduced and expressed by many species, maintained in their genome, and even passed on to their offspring; such organisms include bacteria, yeast, fungi, fish, and mammalian cells, including those of humans.
Interestingly, the winners of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Roger Y. Tsien, Osamu Shimomura, and Martin Chalfie, were awarded such due to their discovery and development of GFP.
I decided to choose GFP as it is extremely abundant and familiar to scientists due to its in vivo and in vitro applications, but also because of my interest in creating a bioluminescent biosensor.
