SUPER POWER PROTEINS
Objective: Review the process of transcription and translation
Instructions:
1. Select ONE super power (s) (trait) that your super hero will have by highlighting the row of
the super power.
Super Power
Speed
Super strength
Agility
Regeneration
Super vision
Super Hearing
Telekinesis
Telepathy
Psychometry
Shapeshifting
Elasticity
Invisibility
mRNA section
--UUC-CUU-UCA-GCU-CAA-GUA-CCG-UUU-GUA-CAC---GCG-AGU-CUG-CUG-AUA-AGU-AGG-CCU-GAA-GCC---GCG-AGG-CUG-CUG-AUA-AGU-AGG-CCU-GAA-GCC---ACU-CUU-GUA-CCA-CAU-GCA-GCU-GCC-GCG-UAC---CUC-UUU-AUU-UUU-UAC-AAC-CGC-GCC-GCC-GCC---CUC-UUU-AUU-UUG-UAC-AAC-CGC-GCC-GCC-GCC---UCC-CCU-ACA-GCA-UAC-UGC-GUA-AUC-CUA-UUU---UCC-CCU-ACA-GCA-UAC-UCC-GUA-AUC-CUA-AGG---ACA-GCG-UAC-CAU-CAG-AAU-AAG-AGC-AGA-GGA---CUC-CUC-CUC-CUC-CCA-AAA-CUC-CUC-CUC-CUC---CUG-CCA-CAC-CGC-GCC-GGA-UUA-UCC-GCG-AAA--GCC-AGA-CUA-UUG-UGG-CCA-GCC-CAG-ACC-CGA--
2. Look at the codon chart and write the amino acid chain sequence coded by mRNA.
Alanine : Ala
Arganine: Arg
Asparagine: Asn
Aspartic acid: Asp
Cysteine: Cys
Glutamic acid: Glu
Glutamine: Gln
Glycine: Gly
Histidine: Hist
Isoleucine: Ile
Leucine: Leu
Lysine:Lys
Methionine: Met
Phenylalanine:Phe
Proline:Pro
Serine: Ser
Threonine: Thr
Tryptophan: Trp
Tyrosine:Tyr
Valine:Val
START: Met
Image source: http://biology-forums.com/index.php?topic=71640.0
Amino acid chain: ______________________________________________________
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3. Describe why you have chosen those super power(s)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Use the mRNA sequence of your super hero and write the complimentary DNA chain?
mRNA _____________________________________________________________________
DNA _____________________________________________________________________
5. How was the mRNA produced? In which organelle of the cell was the mRNA produced?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Explain the role of the mRNA in your super hero
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. Compare and contrast the mRNA sequence of the super powers “super strength” and
“agility”. Are there any changes to the final product? Explain
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. Look at the super powers “super vision” and “super hearing”. Are there any changes to the
final product? Explain
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Think about two parents homozygous for invisibility & super strength, who recently found
they are expecting. Which traits will the baby show?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
10. Create a flow chart of how your super hero is determined by DNA.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
11. The proteins of your super heroes (where/ where not) a result of transcription and
translation.
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12. Give a name to your super hero and complete his/her image
TEACHER NOTES
1. Select ONE super power (s) (trait) that your super hero will have by highlighting the row
of the super power.
Super Power
Speed
Super strength
Agility
Regeneration
Super vision
Super Hearing
Telekinesis
Telepathy
Psychometry
Shapeshifting
Elasticity
Invisibility
mRNA section
High speed to travel or perform actions.
Strong, tough and durable; physically stronger than
humans.
Lighting speed reacting, flexibility and jumping capacity.
Capacity to heel when injured.
Ability to see minuscule details at a large distance.
To hear in long distances and different range of sounds.
Using your mind to move objects
Communicating trough the mind with other species.
Discovering facts of someone or events by touching an
object.
Physically changing into other form or being.
Ability to return the body to its natural shape after
stretching long distances or various shapes.
Ability to be invisible to the naked eye.
2. Look at the codon chart and write the amino acid chain sequence coded by mRNA.
Amino acid chain:
Super Power
Speed
Super strength
Agility
Regeneration
Super vision
Super Hearing
Telekinesis
Telepathy
Psychometry
Shapeshifting
Elasticity
mRNA section
--Phe-Leu-Ser-Ala-Gln-Val-Pro-Phe-Val-Hist---Ala-Ser-Leu-Leu-Ile-Ser-Arg-Pro-Glu-Ala---Ala-Arg-Leu-Leu-Ile-Ser-Arg-Pro-Glu-Ala---Thr-Leu-Val-Pro-Hist-Ala-Ala-Ala-Ala-Tyr---Leu-Phe-Ile-Phe-Tyr-Asp-Arg-Ala-Ala-Ala---Leu-Phe-Ile-Leu-Tyr-Asp-Arg-Ala-Ala-Ala---Ser-Pro-Thr-Ala-Tyr-Cys-Val-Ile-Leu-Phe---Ser-Pro-Thr-Ala-Tyr-Cys-Val-Ile-Leu-Arg---Thr-Ala-Tyr-His-Glu-Asp-Lys-Ser-Arg-Gly---Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu-Pro-Lys- Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu ---Leu-Pro-Hist-Arg-Ala-Gly-Leu-Ser-Ala-Lys-© copyright- All rights reserved www.cpalms.org
Invisibility
--Ala-Arg-Leu-Leu-Trp-Phe-Ala-Glu-Thr-Arg --
Note:
- Between super strength AGU-Ser and agility AGG-Arg (aminoacids correspond to
different boxes in the mRNA codon chart) and super vision UUU-Phe and super hearing
UUG-Leu there is a change of a single nitrogenous base that changes the amino acid
(aminoacids correspond to same boxes in the mRNA codon chart); a mutation causes
-
-
-
this. This can be as an introduction or reinforcement on mutations and the importance of
taking the time to correctly read the mRNA codon chart.
In regeneration you can use the repeated sequence of Ala-Ala-Ala-Ala to reference how
some proteins can have repetitions of the same aminoacids. At the same time you can
reference that mutations in which a base repeats more than usual can cause lethal
disease such as Huntington’s disease. Clarify this is a hypothetical case and that
Huntington’s is not the repetitions of Ala.
Between telekinesis and telepathy you can see that Cys is coded by both UGC and UCC;
but each of them end in different aminoacids thus super powers. Great opportunity to
reinforce the importance of taking the time to correctly read the mRNA codon chart.
As extension you could ask students:
Using Shapeshifting super power mRNA, How would the protein been synthesized
would be different if instead of CCA coding for Pro the bases are changed to UAA?
--CUC-CUC-CUC-CUC-CCA-AAA-CUC-CUC-CUC-CUC—
--Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu-Pro-Lys- Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu –
--CUC-CUC-CUC-CUC-UAA-AAA-CUC-CUC-CUC-CUC—
--Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu-Stop-Lys- Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu –
Students should answer that it will stop; the protein cannot be completed.
Sometimes changes/ mutations causes proteins to be cut due to the stop code and this
protein would not function correctly.
3. Describe why you have chosen those super power(s)
Answer may vary.
Before and during the activity reinforce that the description should be a complete
sentence focused on positive qualities of the super power.
4. Use the mRNA sequence of your super hero and write the complimentary DNA chain?
5. How was the mRNA produced? In which organelle of the cell was the mRNA produced?
mRNA was produced in the process of transcription inside the nucleus.
6. Explain the role of the mRNA in your super hero
The mRNA role is to code the protein that gives the super hero its powers.
7. Compare and contrast the mRNA sequence of the super powers “super strength” and
“agility”. Are there any changes to the final product? Explain
All codons and aminoacids are the same except for AGU in super strength and AGG in
agility that code for different aminoacids and the en results is different powers.
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Between super strength AGU-Ser and agility AGG-Arg (aminoacids correspond to different
boxes in the mRNA codon chart), a mutation causes this. This can be as an introduction or
reinforcement on mutations.
8. Look at the super powers “super vision” and “super hearing”. Are there any changes to the
final product? Explain
All codons and aminoacids are the same except for UUU in super strength and UUG in
agility that code for different aminoacids and the en results is different powers.
Between super vision UUU-Phe and super hearing UUG-Leu there is a change of a single
nitrogenous base that changes the amino acid (aminoacids correspond to same box in the
mRNA codon chart); a mutation causes this. This can be as an introduction or reinforcement
on mutations and the importance of taking the time to correctly read the mRNA codon chart.
9. Think about two parents homozygous for invisibility & super strength, who recently found
they are expecting. Which traits will the baby show?
The baby will show both powers: invisibility and super strength since he or she will have a
gene from each parent. Or maybe the combination of those genes could over develop or
restrain one of the super powers.
The idea with this question is to relate heredity concepts and deepen students
understanding.
10. Create a flow chart of how your super hero is determined by DNA.
DNA stores
the protein
code
DNA opens
a mRNA is
copied
Code is translated
into super power
protein
Super power
protein = super
power
11. The proteins of your super heroes (where/ where not) a result of transcription and
translation.
12. Give a name to your super hero and complete his/her image
Answer may vary.
Reinforce that this activity will be graded based on the answers to the question 1-11 not on
the quality of the drawing.
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