This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate capstone course at UW-Madison.
What are protein domains?
Protein domains describe functional or structural components found within the protein of interest. Protein domains contribute to the function of the protein as a whole, and can include things like binding sites, active sites, protein-protein interaction sites, and many others. (1) PFAM, SMART, and UniProt were used to gather this data.
Protein domains example. (1)
What are the ABCA4 protein domains?
The ABCA4 protein is made up of expected transmembrane and ATPase regions as expected from the ABCA4 gene ontology. The ABC2 Membrane 3 is responsible for ATPase activity, ATPase transmembrane transporter activity, and ATP binding which is expected of the ABCA4 protein again from the gene ontology.
What are the ABCA4 protein domains for model organism homologues?
The ABCA4 protein is relatively conserved, especially between humans and Zebrafish given the distance between the proteins shown in the protein phylogeny.
Discussion
The ABCA4 protein domains show the expected functions: transmembrane activity, ATPase activity, and ATP binding. This matches well with data collected about the gene ontology of ABCA4. The conservation of the protein gives credence to its important role in the preservation of eye function. The similar protein domains in Zebrafish and mice lend support to the use of these species in the study of ABCA4. Given that C. elegans and D. melanogaster do not have eyes similar to Zebrafish, mice, and humans it is not unexpected that the protein is not as well conserved in these species.
References
1. What are protein domains? (2016, July 20). Retrieved from https://www.ebi.ac.uk/training/online/course/introduction-protein-classification-ebi/protein-classification/what-are-protein-domains