BSCI 411
PLANT GENETICS and MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics

Gene sequence exercise

  Sequence of a cDNA you isolated from a cDNA library of rose:

attgtggaaa agaaaagaag tctaagaaaa aacccaaaag ctgcaactat ggcctatgaa aacaaaccca
  acacggtcct ggacgctgat gcccaaagaa gattgggaag gggaaagatc gagatcaagc ggatcgaaaa
  caccaccaat cgtcaagtca ccttctgcaa aaggcgcaat ggtttgctca agaaggccta tgagctctct
  gtgctctgtg atgctgaggt tgctctcata gtcttctcta accgtggccg cctctatgag tattcaaaca
  acagtgttag agaaacaatt gaacgataca agaaggcatg tgcagattct tcaaataatg gatctgtctc
  tgaagctact actcagtact atcagcaaga agctgccaaa ctgcgtgccc agataaccac tttgcagaac
  agtaacaggg gttatatggc tgagggtttg agcaatatgt ctatcaagga gctcaagggc gtggagacca
  aacttgagaa agcaattagc agaattagat ccaagaagaa tgagctcttg tttgccgaaa ttgagtacat
  gcagaaaagg gaacttgact tgcacaacaa taaccagctc ctccgagcaa agatagctga taatgagagg
  caccagcaaa gcataaatgc cattgcaggt gggcatggaa gctacgagat catgcagccg actcagccat
  ttcatgaggc tcgcaactat tttcaagtga atgctttgga acccaatatc catcagtact cgcgccatga
  ccagatttcc cttcaattag tttgatatat gtatgcttgg cctggtttct gctgacttca tcttcaatgg
  agggtgcata tgtgtaatgg caacagatga aagctagcta gctacaagta gcactttgtt aagtaggagt
  taagcagaaa ccaacttcgc tttgtggtta attaattaaa aaacctctcc cacagttagt actggcatta
  caccaagtac taaaagggga tatcttgttt gtataattat tactgaatgc tgcagcaata tgttctaaga
  ttctgtgaga tacactttta acagttgaat tcatcattga tcttttataa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa
  
(alternate sequence- example from class)

1. Find the sequence of the protein which this mRNA would produce?

-Go to a protein translation site at  http://alces.med.umn.edu/cuse.html. Copy and paste the above sequence into the "raw sequence box" (you need to scroll query type to be on "raw" and fill in genebank locus box with a name- e.g. "cDNA1"). Leave all other settings at the default and hit submit button at the bottom of the page.  You will see output of the different open reading frames.  Which one is most likely to be the protein sequence actually coded by the mRNA? Save this sequence for cutting and pasting later.

2. Search a DNA sequence database with the mRNA sequence:

-Go to a Blast search at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/blast/blast.cgi and perform a blast search. Select blastn in the program selection.  Copy and paste the protein sequence from your previous search onto the search form.  Fast A format requires a ">name" before the sequence. What functions do you see appearing on the list of similar sequences?

3. What might be the function of this protein?

-Go to a Blast search at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/blast/blast.cgi and perform a blast search . Select blastp in the program selection.  Cut and past the protein sequence from your previous search onto the search form.  Fast A format requires a ">name" as a separate line before the sequence, but it also works without it. Does the list of similar sequences appear more focused than the DNA based search?

4. Search a protein database for conserved sequence motifs:

-Cut and paste the protein or nucleotide sequence into the search form on Blocks at http://blocks.fhcrc.org/blocks/blocks_search.html.  You can use either the above mRNA sequence or the open reading frame protein sequence you determined in #1 above. This search compares your sequence to conserved mino acid motifs in known proteins.  What conserved motifs are seen in this protein?

-Alternately, you can use Prosites at: http://www.expasy.ch/tools/scnpsit1.html. Here, paste the protein sequence.

Last revised: Feb 16, 2000- Straney