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what would happen on each of the following cases? Assume in each case that the p

ID: 20514 • Letter: W

Question

what would happen on each of the following cases? Assume in each case that the protein involved is a soluble protein, not a membrane protein.

A. You add a signal sequence (for the ER) to the N-terminal end of a normally cytosolic protein.

B. You change the hydrophobic amino acids in an ER signal sequence into charged amino acids.

C. You change the hydrophobic amino acids in an ER signal sequence into other, hydrophobic, amino acids.

D. You move the N-terminal ER signal sequence to the C-terminal end of the protein.

Explanation / Answer

1) if you add a signal sequence (for the ER) to the N-terminal end of a normally cytosolic protein, the protein will now be transported in to the ER lumen 2) If you change the hydrophobic amino acids in an ER signal sequence into charged amino acids, the altered signal sequence will not be recognized and the protein will remain in the cytosol. 3) If you change the hydrophobic amino acids in an ER signal sequence into other, hydrophobic amino acids, the protein will still be delivered into the ER. It is the distribution of hydrophobic amino acids that is important, not the actual sequence. 4) if you move the N-terminal ER signal sequence to the C-terminal end of the protein, the protein will not enter the ER.