A pharmaceutical company is developing a new drug to treat a rare disease. They need to determine which of the cell’s proteins can bind the drug. What tool can help them survey the proteome for drug interactions?

Question

A.  ENCODE
B.  protein microarray
C.  using a monoclonal antibody
D.  SAGE
E.  DNA microarray

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
· What type of thinking is required?
· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?

  Gather Content
· What do you already know about proteomics?

  Consider Possibilities
· Consider the different answer options. Which can you rule out?

  Choose Answer · Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?

  Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

B.  protein microarray


Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        o This question addresses proteomics.
· What type of thinking is required?
        o This question is asking you to analyze the information given, using logic, to dissect the problem and determine the answer.
· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
        o The proteome is the complete set of proteins in a cell.

  Gather Content
· What do you already know about proteomics?
        o Proteomics techniques involve ways of analyzing hundreds or thousands of proteins at a time.

  Consider Possibilities
· Consider the different answer options. Which can you rule out?
        o Would a DNA microarray help to survey the proteome for proteins that bind a new drug? No, because that only reveals the presence of DNA or RNA in a sample.
        o Would SAGE help to survey the proteome for proteins that bind a new drug? No, because that is a technique for analyzing mRNAs in a sample.
        o Would ENCODE help to survey the proteome for proteins that bind a new drug? No, because ENCODE is the name of a project that identifies elements in the genome.
        o Would using a monoclonal antibody help to survey the proteome for proteins that bind a new drug ? No, because each monoclonal antibody can only bind one protein – you would need thousands of antibodies to survey the proteome.

  Choose Answer · Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        o Would a protein microarray help to survey the proteome for proteins that bind a new drug? Yes. That is a technique that allows you to recognize the presence of up to thousands of proteins at once.
        o You could treat cells with the drug, use a column to capture the drug and bound proteins, then apply those bound proteins to a protein microarray to identify them.

  Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o This question asked which technique could be used to survey the proteome for druginteractions.
        o The question required you to analyze the information given, using logic, to dissect the problem and determine the answer.
        o Did you recognize that protein microarrays can be used to recognize the presence of multiple proteins in a sample?