Elastin

By Eva Brandis, Casey Leong, and

Marilynn Hunt

Elastin
Elastin is a highly elastic protein that is
responsible for why skin stretches and returns to
its previous shape.
Chemically, it is arranged in a criss cross shape.
It is abundant in cartilage, blood-vessel walls,
ligaments, and the heart.

3-D
Model

Exon 3 (DNA): ggg gct ggt atc gga gcc ctt gga gga gga
Amino Acid: G A G L G A L G G G

DNA to Protein in Just 3 Simple Steps!

RNA

DNA
transcription

Protein
translation

DNA and Transcription

Step is performed in the nucleus
The enzyme helicase to splits apart of the DNA in half by separating
the base pairs
Then a Polymerase makes a copy of the piece of through base
pairing DNA which becomes an mRNA
Base pairing is the process of Nucleotides binding with a
corresponding nucleotide.

Transcription - Base Pairing

In DNA: Adenine Thymine, Guanine Cytosine
Exon 3 DNA of Elastin: ggg gct ggt atc gga gcc ctt gga gga
gga
In RNA: Adenine Uracil, Guanine Cytosine
Exon 3 mRNA of Elastin: ccc cga cca uag ccu cgg gaa ccu
ccu ccu

Transcription

RNA and Translation

mRNA is sent out of the Nucleus and is attached to tRNA
Once the tRNA finds the starting sequence the rest of the Ribosome
assembles around it.
Ribosome then matches codons with anticodons attached to amino
acids
Amino Acids for Elastin (in Exon 3): G A G L G A L G G
G (Glycine, Alanine, Leucine)
Once the ribosome reaches a codon that has no anticodon it will
stop and link the amino acids to form a polypeptide.
It will then detach the the polypeptide so it can fold.

Protein Folding - the process by which a protein structure

assumes its functional shape or conformation.

Shape determines function

Amino acid strings form a 3D structure
The amino acids dictate how the proteins fold
4 Main Structures:

Primary structure - the sequence of amino acids in its polypeptide chain

Secondary structure - the regular arrangement of amino acids within localized
regions of the polypeptide
Tertiary structure is the folding of the polypeptide chain as a result of
interactions between the side chains of amino acids that lie in different regions
of the primary sequence
Quaternary structure - the interactions between polypeptide chains in proteins
made of more than one polypeptide