Question

You have cloned a gene for a human erythrocyte protein which you suspect is a membrane protein. From the nucleotide sequence of the gene, you know the amino acid sequence.

a. From this sequence alone, how would you evaluate the possibility that the protein is an integral protein?

b. Suppose the protein proves to be an integral protein, either type I or type II; suggest biochemical or chemical experiments that might allow you to determine which type it is.

Answer 1

a. I would use the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) resource available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to identify the proteins with homology to this erythrocyte protein

b. I would use ligands recognized to be capable of specifically binding type I receptors, this methodology enables to identify the type of integral protein