BONUS: Refer to the following paragraph and accompanying fig…

BONUS: Refer to the following paragraph and accompanying figure to answer the following question(s). Since structure correlates well with function, look for new ways to probe the complex structure of proteins in order to understand what they do and how they do it. One of the most powerful techniques in existence today is X-ray crystallography. The main difficulty with this technique is getting the protein to crystallize. Once crystallized, the protein is bombarded with X-rays to create a pattern that can be analyzed mathematically to determine the protein’s three-dimensional structure. This analysis has been performed by Palczewski (2000) on the protein rhodopsin, which is a light-sensitive protein found in species ranging from ancient bacteria (archaea) to humans. The structure (schematically shown above, where each letter represents an amino acid) is characterized by a single polypeptide chain with several α-helical segments that loop back and forth across the cell membrane. Another notable feature is the disulfide bond (—S—S—) that can be seen at the bottom of the third transmembrane segment. [Figure adapted from K. Palczewski et al., Science 289 (2000): 739.]   Which term best describes the type of membrane protein in the figure? (1 point)  [1] Which of the protein regions (the regions are labeled in the figure with a letter and number)  is likely the ligand binding site for the protein? There are 3 possible answers (4 points)? [2] What is a possible function of this protein (4 points)? [3]

It is sometimes jokingly said that you could study for your…

It is sometimes jokingly said that you could study for your biology test by placing your textbook under your pillow at night and thereby learn by osmosis as the knowledge would flow from the book to your brain while you slept. Aside from the obvious absurdity of this claim, what is wrong with the use of the word “osmosis” in this context? How might you lose knowledge (if knowledge could actually flow along a concentration gradient between a book and a brain) if you tried this technique?