1. Read section 8.4 in the text on tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling and write a short narrative (no more than 2 pages) including the following:
- a brief overview of the pathway and what it does
- The nature of the TNF ligand and the receptor for that ligand
- The general steps in the pathway (use figure 8.53 and explain in your own words). Make sure to include an explanation of the proteolytic and phosphorylation cascades. What advantage is there in having a cascade part of these pathways? What purpose does it serve?
- Discuss a pathology/disease that results when the pathway is inappropriately activated or not functioning properly. Choose one disease from the article linked below to discuss and find one other reference about that disease specifically to expand on how the signaling pathway is disrupted.
Link: The Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) in Autoimmune Disease and Current TNF-α Inhibitors in Therapeutics(this article also covers the content in the book in a short narrative)
2. View the video Catherine Drennan (MIT/HHMI) Part 1: Introduction to Metalloproteins . As you view the video, answer the following questions.
- Why do enzymes contain metals? What general reaction types to metalloenzymes catalyze?
- What is meant by fixing C and N? What metal centers are used for this chemistry?
- What are some applications for metalloproteins?
- How are metalloproteins structures determined? What methods are used? Describe each in a few sentences.
3. Go to a search engine like PubMed and enter “metalloenzyme active site”. Find an article that has a structure of a metalloenzyme active site. Describe, from a chemical and structural perspective, how the reactive site is designed to facilitate its catalytic reaction. The example below suggests the level of detail that is required. Make sure that you explain what the metal is doing, what the reaction is, and its biological significance. Include the reference link.
Example: Small Molecule Tunnels in Metalloenzymes Viewed as Extensions of the Active Site
(Image uploaded is a part of question 3)