Week 9 HW: Week 9 — Cell-Free Systems

General Qs:

1. One advantage of cell-free protein synthesis is that the reaction can be freeze-dried to decrease its sensitivity to storage conditions. Freeze-dried cell-free protein synthesis mixture is sehlf-stable for a year.

   CFPS is also sometimes faster because all the energy of the system is directed at producing a protein.

2. The main components of a cell-free expression system are:

   DNA: contains code for protein of interest

   RNA polymerase: produces RNA

   nucleotides: for RNA production

   amino acids: for protein production

   ribosomes & tRNA: the machinery that produces the proteins

   energy source to power the reaction

3. Energy regneration is important for a CFPS system because some chemical reactions in cells require energy.

   Part 2: Creatine phosphate and creatine kinase can be used to ensure a continous supply of ATP. Creatine kinase will guide the phosphate group from the creatine phosphate molecule to ADP (which is a byproduct of the breakdown of ATP). Combined, they form ATP.