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Part 2. This is Part 2 of How to Make a Protein Channel.
In this video we’ll show you how to take the eight amino acids created in Part 1 and
connect them to make a protein channel model. Now remember, proteins are molecules in your
cells that do many different jobs to keep your body running smoothly. They're made out
of amino acid building blocks. Start with two amino acids. If you folded
your amino acids correctly, you’ll notice that each one has 4 tabs that can be opened
up. Line up the tabs of two amino acids, and slide
the closed tabs of one into the open tabs of the other. Make sure you are doing this
with the top tabs only. Once they fit together, fold it in half. Here
we’ve connected two amino acids. Notice we still have four tabs on the outside. We
are going to repeat this process to add the next amino acid.
Open up the tabs, and slide the close tabs of a new amino acid into the open tabs of
the other. Again, make sure you are doing this with the top tabs only.
Once they are connected, fold them in half. We should still have four tabs on the outside.
Continue adding amino acids until all eight are connected in a chain.
Now we have eight amino acids in a chain. All that's left to do is bring the ends together
and connect the last two tabs. Open the two tabs and slide the closed tabs of the end into
the two open tabs. Once they are completely connected, fold them in half.
And that’s it! Here is our finished protein channel. To change its shape, take the points
from the outside and fold them into the center all at once.
Now that you’ve finished building this model, you hopefully have a better idea of how proteins
are made, and also how protein channels work. Remember, protein channels found on outside
surface of the cells act like doors letting other molecules in and out.
When the channel is open, molecules can enter through the hole in the center. Signals from
inside the cell or the surrounding environment tell the channel when to open and close.
As you saw while building your origami channel, the shape of protein is very important. If
you didn’t fold your origami amino acids correctly, they wouldn’t fit together to
make a protein chain. Or, if you made a mistake joining amino acids together, the finished
channel might not be able to open and close correctly.
In nature the same thing can happen. If a protein is the wrong shape, it won't work.
It has to have a specific shape in order to work correctly, just like your origami protein
channel model. To learn more, visit askabiologist.asu.edu