DNA binding proteins, UW 2044

[qmcat]

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Hey guys, I just came across a question in Uworld (2044) asking which of these molecules would be detected using southwestern blotting. I thought the question was kind of ridiculous because I've never heard of jun, nor do I know that S-100 is a homodimeric calcium-binding protein, etc... Anyway, I was just wondering if it's worth it to memorize the specifics in this question, since I'm pretty sure I'll just forget 20 seconds after annotating it into FA.

 

[WashMe]

Hey guys, I just came across a question in Uworld (2044) asking which of these molecules would be detected using southwestern blotting. I thought the question was kind of ridiculous because I've never heard of jun, nor do I know that S-100 is a homodimeric calcium-binding protein, etc... Anyway, I was just wondering if it's worth it to memorize the specifics in this question, since I'm pretty sure I'll just forget 20 seconds after annotating it into FA.

If it makes any difference, I had that same question yesterday and when it came up for review afterwards I just said "whatever" and moved on without reading it haha

 

[SlaveOfTCMC]

Kaplan biochem mentions it

Just like by the Ras oncogenes are GPCRs (well specifically the MAP Kinase pathway)

and yes MAP Kinase was another question in World

 

[airmax]

if its on there, its there for a reason. is it worth memorizing every little detail from uworld? no, theres just not enough time nor sanity in the world to do so.

but im guessing just by the fact that you made this post you won't forget it now 😉

 

[shaman06]

if its on there, its there for a reason. is it worth memorizing every little detail from uworld? no, theres just not enough time nor sanity in the world to do so.

but im guessing just by the fact that you made this post you won't forget it now 😉

The 'lesson' of this question is two-fold, in my opinion:
1. to better acquaint you with the different blotting procedures (northern, southern, western, s.western) - which is something we need to know for boards.
2. This question requires you to understand the nuances in signal transduction. Specifically, jun is a transcription factor (and thus a protein that binds DNA - which is why they analyze it with southwestern blotting).

Don't go out memorizing all the signaling cascades. But the main ones are important to know, especially for biochemistry/endocrinology/pharmacology.
Specifically: GPCRs (Gs, Gi, Gq), enzyme-linked receptors (tyrosine kinase or TK-associated receptors), ion-channel linked receptors, and steroid receptors.
I think if you know generally how these systems transduce signal, and a couple of the main ligands (e.g. PKA, PLC, RAS, jun . . . ), you'll have EVERYTHING covered.

 

[xlr8]

from that question i think that knowing the functions of all the other choices was more important than knowing what jun does. it was a doable question, but only through elimination.

 

[qmcat]

Thanks, I knew the G protein related ones, but didn't know about jun or S-100 (besides that S-100 was a neural crest marker), so I ended up picking S-100 because I remembered seeing it in FA. 😳