Saturday, December 17, 2011

Potassium Ion Channel

So....one manifestation of my nerdiness is that I was in a biochemistry class focusing on proteins this past semester.  For extra credit we could make a 3D model of a membrane protein.  Here's what I made:


And here's how to make it:

Protein Monomers (Make 4)
Ch 203
Slip stitch in 2nd chain from hook and in next 4   (5 slip stitch)
Ch 3, 2 dc in same ch (3 dc in each ch) x7                    (8 with 3 dc in each)
Slip stitch in 8 ch                                                           (8 slip stitch)
Ch 3, 2 dc in same ch (3 dc in each ch) x23                  (24 with 3 dc in each)
Slip stitch in 4 ch                                                           (4 slip stitch)
Ch 3, 2 dc in same ch (3 dc in each ch) x35                  (36 with 3 dc in each)
Slip stitch in 16 ch                                                         (16 slip stitch)
Ch 3, 2 dc in same ch (3 dc in each ch) x23                  (24 with 3 dc in each)
Slip stitch in 20 ch                                                         (20 slip stitch)
Ch 3, 2 dc in same ch (3 dc in each ch) x52                  (51 with 3 dc in each)
Slip stitch in remaining 5 ch                                           (5 slip stitch)


Assembly of the protein can be accomplished in many different ways.
I used five flower arranging cylinders (3 7/8 inches tall each) stacked together, held together by skewers and attached to a piece of round styrofoam to form the base.
To have the helices retain their integrity and not be stretched out by the weight of the yarn, I threaded straws, cut to the appropriate length through the helices. Then I ran a bit of yarn through them and tied the yarn very very tightly to the end of the helices. This makes the helices stay on the straw and not stretch.
I then stuck a skewer through the straw of the last (longest) helix. Halfway through, I pushed the skewer through the side of the straw and pushed it into the support column.
I then ran skewers through the column at the top and about a third of the way up, and then draped the strands on this scaffolding as shown in the actual protein structure at the website shown below.
http://www.pdb.org/pdb/101/motm_disscussed_entry.do?id=1f6g
Protein is 1F6G in the protein data bank.


 

6 comments:

  1. I got full credit, 5 points added to my final grade.

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  2. Hi,
    I reach this page searching google with "crochet protein" thinking about if someone realize protein synthesis, design and folding is related with crochet, the the protein string getting out of the ribosome, it is great and pretty, thanks for it.

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  3. Daina Taimina and Susan Bustos are doing crochet and knitted related with science too

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