1) Go to the M. genitalium genome page, choose the Searches option from the top menu, then choose “Name”, search for the genes MG064 and MG101. Does this database provide any insights into the proteins' cellular roles?
2) BLASTp the two M. genitalium ORFs from above that were listed as hypothetical when the genome was published in 1995 (use Genbank ID AAC71282.1 for MG064 and AAC71319.1 for MG101). Have any sequences been deposited in the databases that help you characterize your chosen ORF?
3) Go to Database of Essential Genes (DEG) and search for entry number 1169 (DEG10060038 or clpB) from M. genitalium. Does the name of this gene lead you to believe it would an essential gene?
4) Copy the ORF sequence from the DEG link and perform a DEG-provided (submit DNA sequence and search for protein matches) search against all DEG entries using their BLASTx program. Now perform a BLASTx search at NCBI. Which version of BLASTx was more informative and why?
© Copyright 2005. Malcolm Campbell. Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035
Send comments, questions, and suggestions to: macampbell@davidson.edu