• Question: What is the complete structure and function of the proteome?

    Asked by k9markred to Daniela, Hannah, Ian, Jono, Mark on 14 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Jono Bone

      Jono Bone answered on 14 Jun 2013:

      Hi k9markred,

      The proteome describes what proteins are being produced (or expressed) in a particular cells at a particular time or in certain conditions. The structure of each of these proteins in the proteome are different. The different also have lots of different functions. In some cases more than one protein may have the same function and sometimes two or more different proteins will interact to have a particular function. Some examples of protein functions are: catalysts for reactions, transport of other molecules, storage of other molecules, mechanical support, but there are loads more.

      Jono

    • Photo: Ian Wilson

      Ian Wilson answered on 15 Jun 2013:

      Hi k9markred,

      To answer this, I need to quickly explain something about genes and proteins. If you imagine a big string of DNA as a load of letters, then a gene is a part of that DNA that spells out a word. It’s always there and will always spell out that word.

      A protein can be seen as that word written in a different language. When the cell needs that protein, the word has to be translated from the gene’s language to the protein’s language for the protein to be made. But the word is not always being translated, which means that the protein will not always exist.

      A proteome is just a collection of all of the proteins (kind of like a book made up of all of those words) that are translated from genes under certain conditions. So, let’s say a bacterium can live in a human and in water. It’ll need to translate different genes to let it survive in these 2 different environments. So, if you took the proteomes from one of those bacteria in a human and one in water, the contents of their proteomes will be different.

      Hope that makes sense – if you want more detail go ahead and ask 🙂

      Ian

    • Photo: Mark Hodson

      Mark Hodson answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      Hi k9markred,

      the proteome is all the proteins produced by a particular set of genes under particular conditions. So it’s function is to allow organisms to live.

      cheers

      m

    • Photo: Hannah Brotherton

      Hannah Brotherton answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      Hi k9markred,
      Proteins are a basic building block of life on earth. They are the molecules that provide structure, energy, communication, movement and reproduction within a cell. They make up every living thing in the world. The body of proteins that make up an organism is referred to as its proteome.

      So let’s talk structure:
      Proteins are made up of many many amino acids and there are four different ways these amino acids can be: a primary structure which is where they sit in a straight line, a secondary strucutre where there are two sheets of amino acids opposite each other, a tertiary structure is kinda like a box and quaternary structure which is just like a bigger and more complicated box 🙂

      Now, why do we have proteins……we need them for everything. Also, there are loads of proteins, there are:

      enzymes (eat things up and makes new things)
      hormones (why im growing a moustache…wait that’s not right I’m a girl lol)
      structural proteins (why I am stronger than boys :P)
      storage proteins (the white part of your egg – its where all the goodness is)
      Contractile Proteins (let’s me run and run and run and run)
      Antibodies (mine obviously ain’t working because I keep getting colds)

      😀

      Han

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