Activity Number 161

	Overview and Learning Objectives
	Assessment
	Central Concepts
	Textbook References
	Macro Micro Link
	Activity Credits
	Requirements

How a Protein Gets Its Shape (older version): The Role of DNA as Code

Interactive, scaffolded model

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	Overview and Learning Objectives Students work with the dynamic model, From Genetic Code to Protein Structure. They change the sequence of nucleotides in DNA to explore connections between the genetic code, the sequence of amino acids and the shape of a protein. By changing the DNA code, they generate a variety of protein shapes, thus generating mutations. Students will be able to: Reason how DNA, a linear polymer made of millions of monomers of four different types (adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine) can store the genetic code - information about sequence of amino acids in proteins. Explain that the genetic code is written in units called codons - three consecutive nucleotides. Describe why changes in the sequence of DNA can affect protein shape and function. Communicate the shape of a protein to other students through its genetic code. return to top



	Assessment See question 2a, 2b and 2c form the following pre/post test: http://www.concord.org/~barbara/workbench_web/unitV/prepost_test.html return to top



	Central Concepts Key Concept: The sequence of nucleotides in the DNA serves as a genetic code, dictating the sequence of amino acids in proteins. Altering the sequence of nucleotides in DNA may change the sequence of amino acids in the protein and affect its shape. Additional Related Concepts Molecular Biology Amino acid Coding DNA Nucleotide Primary structure Protein Folding return to top



	Textbook References Biology (Miller and Levine) Prentice Hall 5th Edition - Unit 2: Chapter 10 - Genes and Chromosomes Biology (Miller and Levine) Prentice Hall 5th Edition - Unit 2: Chapter 7 - Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis Biology (Prentice-Hall) New York Edition - Chapter 12: DNA and RNA Biology: Exploring Life - Chapter 11: DNA and the Language of Life Biology: Exploring Life - Chapter 5: The Molecules of Life BSCS Blue (8th Edition) - Chapter 9: Expressing Genetic Information BSCS Human - Chapter 12: Gene Action return to top



	Macro Micro Link Students relate protein shape to codons of DNA, through the intermediates of amino acids and their properties. return to top



	Activity Credits Created by CC Project: Molecular Workbench using Molecular Workbench return to top



	Requirements Java 1.5+ - Java 1.5+ is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X 10.4 and greater. If you are using Mac OS X 10.3, you can download MW Version 1.3 and explore within it instead. return to top

These materials are based upon work supported by the
National Science Foundation under grant number DUE-0402553

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions
or recommendations expressed in this material are those of
the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views
of the National Science Foundation.

How a Protein Gets Its Shape (older version): The Role of DNA as Code

Overview and Learning Objectives

Assessment

Central Concepts

Additional Related Concepts

Textbook References

Macro Micro Link

Activity Credits

Requirements