BIO 2440 Introductory Cell Biology

Scientific Writing and Presentation Protein

Proteins have many different functions in the cell and there are many unique protein structures.

This lab assignment involves writing a paper about a particular protein. This paper will include information about the structure and function of the selected protein. After your paper is written, an oral powerpoint presentation about your protein will also be prepared and submitted to YouTube.

A. Each student will be assigned a different protein by the TA. Everyone in the lab will have a different protein.

B. Now search the scientific literature for information concerning the structure and function of your protein. You must locate scientific journal articles, read the articles, and cite them properly within your paper. Each citation should be included in a Literature Cited section. The library search engines and Google Scholar may be useful. Books can be used. The internet can also be used, but use caution when using information from the internet – sometimes this information may not be correct/accurate.

You should locate and use at least 8 scientific articles/ books. Most information from scientific books and journals has been reviewed by the scientific community. At least 5 of the 8 (minimum) citations should be from scientific journal articles. Avoid obtaining information from web sites – this information may not have been reviewed by the scientific community.

C. Now it is time to write your paper. Your paper should include the following parts.

1. Introduction about proteins in general. This should include several functions of proteins. It should also include the four levels of protein structure. Illustrations can be included. If you have an illustration – include a Figure number and legend (caption) below the illustration. If an illustration is not your own, then the source must be cited. You should refer to all figures in the text and the figures should be numbered in order (Example Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc). (Your text book is a good resource for this section.)

2. General information about your selected protein. What is the function in the cell? In the organism? Is it structural? Is it an enzyme? Is it in all organisms? Is it in all cells? Illustrations may also be used to help explain the function. Cite appropriate information.

3. Information concerning primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of your protein. What is the 3D structure? Include a ribbon model of your protein. Is the functioning protein composed of several subunits? If so, how do they fit together. Cite appropriate information. Include one or more figures and discuss your figure or figures. Discuss the ribbon model of your protein.

4. Genetic information about the DNA that codes for the protein. Have researchers sequenced the gene for this protein? Provide a small portion of the sequence of the gene for your protein. Are there any genetic diseases associated with your protein?

5. Conclusion

6. Literature cited.

In the Literature Cited section of your paper, the citation should be in the following format:

Authors (all listed), year, title of article, journal or book, publisher, volume and page number. This will allow another individual to locate this same article, if they are interested. Follow the style of the American Journal of Botany for preparing the Literature Cited.

You should locate and use at least 8 scientific articles/ books. Most information from scientific books and journals has been reviewed by the scientific community. Avoid obtaining information from web sites – this information may not have been reviewed by the scientific community. At least 5 of the 8 (minimum) citations should be from scientific journal articles.

General instructions:

*Information in the text should be cited with the author and the year in parentheses. For 3 or more authors – use the first author and et al (it should be in italics). For example: (Hudson et al., 2015). If have two authors, use both last names and year. For example: (Hudson and Jones, 2018).

*This assignment should have at least 3 ½ pages of written text (not including the illustrations, figure captions and Literature Cited).

*It should be double-spaced with one inch margins and 12 pt font, Times New Roman font, and pages numbered

*Avoid using contractions.

*Do not use more than 2 quotations in your paper. An electronic copy will be submitted to identify plagiarism.

*Illustrations need a figure number and legend (caption). Refer to scientific journal articles and your book for examples. Follow the style of the American Journal of Botany.

After your paper is written and you have edited it several times, but before you submit it, have someone at the Writing Center, in the Farrington building, review your final draft.

Plagiarism will result in a grade of zero (0) for this assignment. Paraphrase and cite information in the paper. Cite all illustrations.

Your paper will be checked for plagiarism with Safe Assign when you submit your protein paper to the appropriate site on Blackboard.

Submit an electronic copy to Dr. Hudson with an attachment in an e-mail. This copy will be printed and returned after grading (can be collected at my office or after an exam).

D. After your paper is written, now prepare a powerpoint presentation about your paper. Use figures and images from your paper. Use tables and summarize other information about your protein. Do not take entire sentences and/or paragraphs from your paper and use them in your presentation. Pretend that you are in front of the class and make a video of your presentation and submit it to YouTube.

Grading: Oral presentation video, submit to YouTube = 10 points

Final paper = 40 points

Dr. Hudson will read and grade all papers.