Dear Jacky,
we have just finished the assignment 1. Generally we enjoyed discussing
the problems. Especially the first part was very interesting.
However there are a few questions we don't quite get along with:
Q11: The C-peptide residues are numbered 31-63.
So c) AND d) appear to be false!
Could there be a typo in answers c) or d) ?
Q13: b) AND d) appear to be false!
Neither are the terminal basic dipeptides conserved in all four
sequences (they are at the C-terminus, at the N-terminus there are
RD, RR, and KR),
nor are the connecting peptide sequences all of the same length
(salmon:33 AS, chicken and frog: 32 AS, alligator: zero).
Q14: a) What is meant by 'the data'?
Q15: b) AND d) appear to be false:
b) The only variation between A9 and A12 is I10V. Can that be
termed 'significant'? In contrast there is a non-conservative point
mutation at A8 (T8A).
d) There is some degree of homology (approx. 50%) in the connecting
peptides. But in comparison to the homology of the A and B chains it is
not 'high'.
Please let us know, if these are truly errors in the assignment or if we
have just misunderstood the questions.
It is good to be able to ask these questions about the assignment
because the multiple choice test doesn't allow any explanations
of the answers we have chosen. Actually we are not exactly happy with
being examined only by multiple choice and we hope that your time will
allow to include a few other questions in the next assignment, especially
since there are only 72 people on the course.
Anyway the assignment has been good fun!
Best wishes!
Silke Jonda & Horst Joachim Schirra
PS: We are not quite sure whether to post this mail to pps96-general
because of the detailed discussion of the answers. If you think it
appropriate, please forward it to the mailing list.
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/ Horst Joachim Schirra Phone: (+49)89/8578-2826 /
/ NMR-Arbeitsgruppe Fax: (+49)89/8578-3777 /
/ Am Klopferspitz 18a /
/ D-82152 Martinsried /
/ Germany email: schirra@nmrvex.biochem.mpg.de /
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