Creating a Cell Cycle/Cancer Problem Space

Janet CooperLisa FelzienLaura Salem

Creating a Cell Cycle/Cancer Problem Space: the essential components

Our Goal:

To create a problem space using the principles of the cell cycle and its implications on cancer research.

This problem space will be adapted touse in non-majors biology, general biology, genetics, and cell biology.

I. Biological Principles-cell cycle-cancer-protein motifs/domains-sequence alignment-protein structure-cyclins/CDKs

II. Analysis Tools-Saccharomyces Genome Database-NCBI/Entrez-Workbench

III. Data Sets-nucleotide sequences of cancer genes-protein sequences of cancer genes

Using Saccharomyces cerevisiaeas a model for studying the cell cycle

A Subset of Cell Cycle Genes in Yeast with Human Cancer Homologs

CDC25CDC28CDC27CDC34

http://www.yeastgenome.org/

http://cc.ucsf.edu/people/waldman/GENES/completechroms.html

Data sets

• Sequences generated from genbank and BLAST

• Nucleotide alignment comparison with students in workbench

• Question posing by students

• Use of workbench tools

Student questions and goals

• Questions:– Are there common regions for mutations?– How do the mutations affect the function of the

protein?

• Objectives for Genetics/Cell Biology:– Analysis of the effects of mutations– Determination of nucleotide sequence and protein

structure relationships– Familiarity with computational tools