Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

In our project, we research about what role genetics play in the differences of reactions between drugs. If there are mutations within the alleles that code for the protein associated with the different reaction of the drug, what would be some factors that could cause a change? What if the mutation changes the codon, but the amino acid produced is not affected?
Thanks for taking the time to read.
-EricnRamen ^_^v

Hello Eric,
Mutations can occur for many types of reason. It could be a malfunction in the cell machinery, environment etc. If you google gene mutation you will get a ton of information. My favorite site for getting a simple explanation is wikipedia. In regards to amino acids...if the sequence is mutated but results in the same amino acid being produces this is referred to as a silent mutation. In this case, the final form and function of the protein is unchanged.

Hope this helps!
Katie

Hi!

Right now, i am in the process of doing this project. I got stuck and confused on procedure 4. This is because it asks questions about the gene/protein of clopidogrel. But i don't know which gene/protein to use on my drug (imatanib). How do you find how the protein interacts with the drug? What is an allele? How do i find out if its an exon or intron? How do i find the codon sequence change for dna and mrna? How do i find the amino acid sequence change? I need the answers asap!
Thanks,
Arnlan

Hi Arnlan,

Sorry to hear you got stuck in the procedure. Note that the procedure (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... #procedure) uses the drug clopidogrel as an example, and you need to think about what applies to your drug of interest (imatinib).

Start by going back to step 2. You need to find out as much information about your drug before you proceed. In particular, make sure you click on the "Properties" tab to find out how the drug functions on a molecular level. This should give you more information about the proteins that interact with your drug.

An allele is a version of a gene, which results in a particular phenotype (physical characteristic). There can be different versions of the same gene. For example, if there were a single gene for eye color, then there would be a different allele for each eye color: an allele for brown eyes, an allele for blue eyes, an allele for green eyes, etc. There is one gene (eye color), but three different alleles (brown, blue, green) in this example.

Exons are the parts of the gene that end up coding for the protein. Introns are spliced out before the protein is made. If a mutation is in an intron, it will be a silent mutation - it will have no effect on the protein. If a mutation is in an exon, it can affect the resulting protein and possibly show up in the phenotype (physical characteristic).

The information about how the drug works and what sequence changes you will find should be near the end of the "Pathways" tab for your drug. Just fill out the information you can find here; you might not find everything listed in the table.

I hope this helps. Sorry for the delayed response.

Heather

Thank You So Much, i have the science fair tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!! Right now im trying to prepare the speech for the judge.

Best,
Arnlan

arnlan wrote:Thank You So Much, i have the science fair tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!! Right now im trying to prepare the speech for the judge.

Best,
Arnlan

I WON 2nd PLACE!!!!!!!!!

Hi Arnlan,

CONGRATULATIONS!

So glad to see that your hard work paid off. I know you had to change projects, and then you persevered and got 2nd place. I'm super happy for you!

Great job!

Heather

Congratulations! Your hard work and perseverance definitely paid off...way to hang in there!!!

Thank You So Much, now its time to get ready for the Regional Science Fair. Its in about 5 weeks.

-Arnlan

My hard work has paid off, now its time to put in more as i go onward. If you have any tips or ideas, on how i can improve this project for regional s ill appreciate.

Hi Arnlan,

What did you have in mind in terms of improvement? If you got 2nd place, it means you had a strong project already. You may just want to focus on your presentation board and research paper, to make sure they are up to snuff for the regional judges.

I don't know exactly what you did with this project or how you presented your data, but I definitely recommend checking out the Make It Your Own section (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... eityourown) if you want to add something to your project before the regional fair. Alternatively, you can do some extra research to beef up your knowledge of the background for your drug (e.g., find out the clinical outcomes) and/or ways this information could apply to the use of the drug in a clinical setting.

I hope this helps. Please keep us posted!

Heather

Thank You So much, this really helps. Ill get right on it. 4 weeks to go. Febuary 23!!