A written assignment to tie together material from this course (and even BIOL 2200) will be 10% of the final grade. Students will be required to write a 5-page paper summarizing the role of monomeric GTP-binding proteins (GTPases) in the following aspects of cell biology:
Regulation of the 3 steps of eukaryotic translation (initiation, elongation and termination).
Nuclear transport
Vesicular trafficking (protein transport) in the endomembrane system
Receptor tyrosine kinase signaling
Include in your paper a description of how monomeric GTPases turn on and turn off the function of target proteins (their mechanism of action), and also how monomeric GTPases are themselves turned on and off (they are molecular switches).
Include in your paper one example of a disease that arises as a result of dysfunction of a monomeric GTP-binding protein. Do not choose a disease caused by a trimeric GPCR. It must be a monomeric GTPase that is the cause of the disease.
This paper is focused on the monomeric GTPases, not trimeric GTP-binding proteins (i.e., GPCRs). Thus, other than mentioning this class of GTP-binding proteins (if you so choose), there should not be significant discussion of GPCRs (to make the 5-page limit).
Make sure you discuss each of the monomeric GTPases, as missing material will result in point deductions according to the grading rubric in Blackboard.
