Theme D - Continuity & Change
Unlocking Protein Variants: The Magic of Alternative Splicing
Table of content
The Magic of Alternative Splicing
- Imagine one gene turning into a magician, whipping out multiple protein variants like a rabbit out of a hat! 🎩🐰 That's what happens with alternative splicing!
- Basic Concept: One gene can produce multiple protein forms through post-transcriptional modification.
What Exactly Happens?
- First, we get the primary transcript (kind of like the raw material). This remains unchanged.
- But then... TADA! The mRNA may undergo changes, like skipping an exon (part of the mRNA).
- Think of it like editing a movie scene. Sometimes, you remove a scene to change the story slightly.
- Most common method: Exon skipping.
Why is this Cool?
- We get different forms of a protein without duplicating the gene.
- Imagine having to buy a new cookbook each time for just one new recipe. Nope! We just tweak the ones we have.
Real-World Example - Heart of the Matter - Troponin T gene (TNNT2)
-
Troponin: Muscle protein superstar. Helps muscles contract and relax.
- Attached to actin filaments.
- Moves tropomyosin, allowing myosin filaments to bind. Think of this as dancers coming together for a final move!
-
Troponin Components
- Troponin C
- Troponin I
- Troponin T (TnT): The binding buddy of tropomyosin.
-
Fun Fact: We have only one form each of troponin C and I. But 4 forms of troponin T!
- TnT1 & TnT2: The baby versions (found in fetal hearts).
- TnT3: The adult version (like most of us reading this! 😉)
- TnT4: The version in diseased hearts.
-
The Magical Change: TNNT has 17 exons. Alternative splicing occurs especially at exons 4 & 5 to produce the 4 versions of troponin T.
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Theme D - Continuity & Change
Unlocking Protein Variants: The Magic of Alternative Splicing
Table of content
The Magic of Alternative Splicing
- Imagine one gene turning into a magician, whipping out multiple protein variants like a rabbit out of a hat! 🎩🐰 That's what happens with alternative splicing!
- Basic Concept: One gene can produce multiple protein forms through post-transcriptional modification.
What Exactly Happens?
- First, we get the primary transcript (kind of like the raw material). This remains unchanged.
- But then... TADA! The mRNA may undergo changes, like skipping an exon (part of the mRNA).
- Think of it like editing a movie scene. Sometimes, you remove a scene to change the story slightly.
- Most common method: Exon skipping.
Why is this Cool?
- We get different forms of a protein without duplicating the gene.
- Imagine having to buy a new cookbook each time for just one new recipe. Nope! We just tweak the ones we have.
Real-World Example - Heart of the Matter - Troponin T gene (TNNT2)
-
Troponin: Muscle protein superstar. Helps muscles contract and relax.
- Attached to actin filaments.
- Moves tropomyosin, allowing myosin filaments to bind. Think of this as dancers coming together for a final move!
-
Troponin Components
- Troponin C
- Troponin I
- Troponin T (TnT): The binding buddy of tropomyosin.
-
Fun Fact: We have only one form each of troponin C and I. But 4 forms of troponin T!
- TnT1 & TnT2: The baby versions (found in fetal hearts).
- TnT3: The adult version (like most of us reading this! 😉)
- TnT4: The version in diseased hearts.
-
The Magical Change: TNNT has 17 exons. Alternative splicing occurs especially at exons 4 & 5 to produce the 4 versions of troponin T.
Unlock the Full Content!
Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Biology HL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟