Preview Material - Exam 1 Spring 2007

mRNA-Codon-to-Amino-Acid Decoder Chart
		2nd Letter
1st Letter	U		C		A		G		3rd Letter
U	UUU UUC	Phenylalanine	UCU UCC UCA UCG	Serine	UAU UAC	Tyrosine	UGU UGC	Cysteine	U
									C
	UUA UUG	Leucine			UAA UAG	STOP	UGA	STOP	A
							UGG	Tryptophan	G
C	CUU CUC CUA CUG	Leucine	CCU CCC CCA CCG	Proline	CAU CAC	Histidine	CGU CGC CGA CGG	Arginine	U
									C
					CAA CAG	Glutamine			A
									G
A	AUU AUC AUA	Isoleucine	ACU ACC ACA ACG	Threonine	AAU AAC	Asparagine	AGU AGC	Serine	U
									C
					AAA AAG	Lysine	AGA AGG	Arginine	A
	AUG	Methionine; START							G
G	GUU GUC GUA GUG	Valine	GCU GCC GCA GCG	Alanine	GAU GAC	Aspartate	GGU GGC GGA GGG	Glycine	U
									C
					GAA GAG	Glutamate			A
									G

We return to Saint Vincent Island. The island is a roughly 10,000 acre barrier island off the gulf coast of Florida, and is inhabited by Sambar deer as well as native white tailed deer. These two species co-exist on St. Vincent and occupy different ecological niches. Generally, the white-tailed deer prefer the hotter, drier uplands habitats, while the Sambar deer spend most of their time in the marshes and other wetlands. The islands carrying capacity for Sambar deer is 100 animals. The population never exceeds this number. Red Wolves have been introduced to the island as a means to increase the wolf population in a protected environment. In addition, the Florida Fish and Game Commission holds yearly limited hunts for Sambar and white tail deer in an effort to manage their numbers.

You decide to study population dynamics of Sambar deer and found the starting population to be 70. In the first year of the study, 30 calves (baby Sambar deer) were born. 5 were killed by wolves and 5 were killed in the limited hunts.

As the Sambar deer population approaches the carrying capacity of the island, you notice a number of the deer become sick and die.

At the end of the third year a violent hurricane hits St. Vincent and randomly kills 40 Sambar deer.

After many years the St. Vincent island Sambar deer were found to have very efficient NaCl (salt) transporters in their cellular membranes. When the amino acid sequence of this protein was compared to that of Sambar deer still residing in asia, a change from Glutamine-Aspartate-Valine-Aspartate (asian Sambar deer) to Glutamine-Aspartate -Aspartate -Aspartate (St. Vincent Sambar deer) was discovered in the active site of the transporter.

In late February of this year, Taco Bell restaurant chain experienced an outbreak in E. coli (Escherichia coli). The bacteria were thought to be contaminating green onions used by the restaurant chain. Before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, could contain the outbreak, 64 cases of illness were reported. Most of the hundreds of types, or strains, of E. coli are harmless to humans and other animals but some pathogenic strains produce a toxin that causes diarrhea and occasionally can cause severe blood problems and kidney failure. Scientists have been attempting to develop E. coli vaccines for many years. To test vaccine effectiveness, scientists measure the presence of E. coli in the blood.

Some of the individuals ate the food contaminated with E. coli but did not suffer from any of the typical symptoms.

Scientists are working to develop a vaccine for E. coli. Hopefully, such a vaccine would prevent humans from suffering symptoms if exposed to E. coli. Scientists working to develop these vaccines need data from clinical trials to determine whether the vaccines are effective. They have already determined the vaccine itself is not harmful to people.