G Proteins

G Proteins

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

Invasive Species, Wealth of Nations, Stepdads, Hostile Bosses

Episode: Invasive Species, Wealth of Nations, Stepdads, Hostile Bosses

  • Mar 4, 2015 10:00 pm
  • 27:43 mins

(24:14) Guests: Rebecca Plimpton, PhD. Candidate in Biochemistry at BYU  Barry Willardson, Faculty Advisor in the Biochemistry Department at BYU  Your ability to react fast – and without having to think “Okay, I need adrenaline” – is a result of a special class of protein that has long mystified scientists. So-called “G” Proteins are like the switchboard operators in your cells, telling various processes when to turn on and off.  “We were actually looking for something that happens with G proteins before its attached to the cell membrane. All proteins when they are made start out as a long string of atoms all connected together and in order for the G protein to perform its function that string has to fold into a 3-dimensional, precise shape. Our research looks at how the proteins fold into this shape,” says Plimpton.