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What is the Evolutionary History and Function of Exendin?. Mary Ritke Sandra Davis Octavian Nicolio Angela McKinney-Williams. Previous Observations. GLP-1 is a ligand for the GLP-1 receptor (Methuselah) that enhances glucose uptake in cells.
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What is the Evolutionary History and Function of Exendin? Mary Ritke Sandra Davis Octavian Nicolio Angela McKinney-Williams
Previous Observations • GLP-1 is a ligand for the GLP-1 receptor (Methuselah) that enhances glucose uptake in cells. • Exendin is a protein found in the venom of the Heloderma suspectum, a.k.a. the Gila monster • Trp Cage is a synthetic peptide with interesting thermodynamic properties, however Exendin has been found to have the Trp Cage motif. • Compared to GLP-1, Exendin binds the GLP-1 receptor more tightly and is a more effective glucose uptake stimulator. • What an interesting phenomenon!!!!
Our objectives are to: • Design and test a learning module to help students determine how to use existing data (above) to understand the relationship between two seemingly unrelated proteins: a venom protein and a glucose metabolism effector. We (and our students will) • Formulate hypotheses • Plan experiments to further understand the evolutionary history and function of GLP-1-like proteins and Exendin. • Use existing data bases to test two hypotheses regarding the evolution of GLP-1 and Exendin.
We used BLAST to find the amino acid sequences of GLP-I related proteins in 13 different species • Heloderma suspectum (Gila monster) • Hoplobatrachus rugulosus (crowned bullfrog) • Petromyzon marinus (sea lamprey) • Agkistrodon piscivorus (cottonmouth) • Gallus gallus (chicken) • Mus musculus (mouse) • Neoceratodus forsteri (Australian lungfish) • Homo sapiens (human) • Rana catesbeiana (bullfrog) • Amphiuma tridactylum (three-toed salamander) • Pan troglodytes (chimpanzee) • Ictalurus punctatus (channel catfish) • Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish)
“Molded results vary depending on child’s age and level of skill”