{"id":6272,"date":"2020-02-28T16:35:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T22:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/?p=6272"},"modified":"2021-10-04T12:51:40","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T17:51:40","slug":"sickle-cell-anemia-investigation-day-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kabt.org\/?p=6272","title":{"rendered":"Sickle Cell Anemia Investigation: Day 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today did not go too well. I must remind myself that it is quite a lot for students to jump from DNA to mRNA to Protein Shape & Function to Cell Shape to bodily function. Still, I think today should have worked much better than it did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started with a video by BioVisions at Harvard titled Cellular<\/em> Visions<\/em>. It shows how many different types of proteins function in a cell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
It also includes a scene of actin polymerizing which I could pause and discuss. Because It would play into our class discussion. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then we reviewed that cells shape helps them to perform their function and that their shape is determined by a sequence of amino acids. I told several other protein ‘stories’. I then ended with a visual<\/a> from Utah Genetics that shows cell size and scale so that I could compare a red blood cell and a hemoglobin protein. I still have many students who cannot interpret that cells are much larger than proteins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Next, I tried to do a hands on activity with the students that I got from HHMI titled How Do Fibers Form. <\/a><\/em> I think the lesson should work but I couldn’t get it to click. I had lots of blinking and phone issues instead of engaged hands and minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, students take cut out paper models of hemoglobin and they try to piece them in a cell to see how the proteins interact and determine the shape of the cell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Normal Hemoglobin is “closed” when it is carrying an oxygen molecule. That is, it has no open pocket to accept DNA. So the proteins simply bounce off one another . <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I pulled up David Goodsell’s Molecule of the month blo<\/a>g to show the students the behavior of this hemoglobin molecule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
I physically move my body to imitate the hemoglobin in a closed configuration. By pretending to catch oxygen. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand when an oxygen is not bound to the heme group of hemoglobin it enters an “open” configuration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
This molecule is ready to accept an Oxygen. Thus, it is ‘open’ I slink my body around the room like a catcher with his mitt open and ready to receive a ball. *don’t you wish you had a picture of that \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We can model this with a piece of paper that has a hole punch to show that it is open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I ask the students to show how these proteins might interact if they were bouncing around a cell. None of my students got this at all…There were literally crickets chirping in my Leopard Gecko cage folks… pppsssssssth \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
One or two students suggested that they may clump together. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Next, I had them manipulate models of hemoglobin that had been mutated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Actually, several of the students started stringing them together… but none (literally 0\/111) of them put together that this growing chain of proteins could actually push on the cell membrane to change the shape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
some students got this idea that the proteins would clump together<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
No students had the notion that the proteins would change the shape of the cell. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
None of my students got this far. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I actually did a clearer example with better models that I had printed off.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
These ‘normal’ hemoglobins wouldn’t clump
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
This mutated protein has a pocket for binding to occur in. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Here they could really see how the proteins would stack up to form a polymer fiber that pushes out the cell. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By the last hour I simply just showed them how this could work with my overhead projector. Then we went outside with the last 10 minutes of class and played hacky sack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am going to try again on Monday. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today did not go too well. I must remind myself that it is quite a lot for students to jump from DNA to mRNA to Protein Shape & Function to Cell Shape to bodily function. Still, I think today should have worked much better than it did. We started with a video by BioVisions at
+ Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5668,"featured_media":6259,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kabt-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t