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(3 Group Set Shown)
Students explore the shape and chemical properties of the 20 amino acid sidechains with engaging foam models. The sidechains feature dual coloring schemes - color on one side indicates chemical properties and on the other side students color-code atoms. Since understanding protein structure begins with this unique combination of shape and chemical properties of the amino acid sidechains, students will gain a basic knowledge of the laws that determine protein folding. The 3-Group Amino Acid Starter Kit© includes 3 4-foot Mini-Toobers, 3 sets of 20 magnetic amino acid sidechains and 3 extra cysteines for the folding activity.
CD Files |
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Don't tell your students about triplet codons, reading frames, and introns and exons. Let your students discover these features of eukaryotic genes as they explore the map of the buman ß-Globin gene. After searching through the nucleotide sequence to find the ß-Globin gene, your students will appreciate bioinformatics software that automates DNA sequence analysis. The Teacher's Map includes highlighted reading frames and CD with instructions and Teachers' Notes. Map can be used individually or by small student teams. |
BioInformatics Map of the
ß-Globin Gene© |
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Proteins become real in your students' hands as they
fold 3 Mini-Toober ß-Globin
fragments and discover the primary, secondary and tertiary structure
in this models. Maps guide your students in marking the levels of structure
onto 3 Mini-Toober fragments before folding each into its 3-D shape.
This is the next step in understanding proteinsfollowing 3DMD's Amino Acid Starter Kit© |
Mini-Toober
ß-Globin Folding Kit©
Field Test Model |
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activities or the 15 Tacks and
a 4-Foot Toober activity. The Mini-Toober ß-Globin
Folding Kit© includes 3 Mini-Toobers, Amino
Acid Sidechains, Heme group, iron and oxygen atoms, an assortment of
parts to mark fragment sections and connect components together. The
Folding Kit can be used by 6 to 9 students working in 3 teams.
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More Photos
DNA Resources
Let your students discover the
structure of DNA—just as Watson and Crick did. The DNA
Discovery Kit combines powerful magnets with accurate, 3D nucleotides
which makes the kit self-instructive. As your students correctly
join the nucleotides, they will "feel" hydrogen bonding.
Teacher-developed and field-tested, the classroom kit contains
12 base pairs (six of each nucleotide).
Meets National
Science Education Standards |
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Your students can make ice, dissolve salt, evaporate water,
explore transpiration, create ethanol and much much more. Find
out more.
Water
Kit Basic Lesson Plans
Water Kit© Resource Pages
Meets
National Science Education Standards |
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Each
ion has six embeded magnets to simulate ionic bonding. Your students
can also discoverthe cubic nature of salt crystals, efficient lattice
packing, high melting temperature, brittleness and more.
NaCl
Resource Pages
Meets
National Science Education Standards
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Improved Modeling Toobers Arriving in October!
Flexible Modeling Toobers (made of foam-covered wire) allow students to create their own protein structures while exploring basic protein-folding principles. Toobers are 4’ long and now come only in blue Find out more.
15
Tack and a 4 Foot Toober (pdf)
Meets
National Science Education Standards
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3D
Molecules on CD for High School Biology BioMolecular Explorer 3D (BME3D) is a collection of 3D-interactive, biologically significant
molecules relevant to a high school biology curriculum. Windows software
is provided on the CD. (Mac users, see the online version of BME3D.
Classic or OS9 required.)
BME3D provides easy access to interactive 3D structures of biologically
significant molecules without needing to connect to the Internet, and
without requiring a great deal of technical expertise. All molecules
included on the Biomolecular Explorer 3D CD are displayed and explored
in a browser window following software installation. The price of the
CD covers the media, production and handling costs-- software and other
materials are free, thanks to support from the National Science Foundation,
and MDL, Inc.
The BME3D CD includes:
- software for Windows (Mac users see
below)
- step-by-step instructions
- 10 pre-selected molecules with descriptions
to place them in context: DNA, antibody, HIV protease with inhibitor,
hemoglobin, a lipid bilayer, collagen, lactase, lac repressor, myosin,
water.
- links to online lesson planning resources
for each molecule
- links to more molecules online
To preview the contents of
the CD, visit BME3D
online! If you have stable internet access in your classroom, you
can use all BME3D materials from BME3D online, without getting the CD.
Software for Macs (Classic or OS9 required) is available only at the
BME3D online web site.
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Also available
as a pair:
30S and 50S pair - $175
(see below)
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Also available
as a pair:
30S and 50S pair - $175
(see above) |
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Nucleosome 4" |
| Packaging our DNA |
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Green Fluorescent
Protein 3"
The
molecular lantern |
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Anthrax
Protective Antigen
Too
pretty to be so deadly 3.25" |
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The
anthrax protective antigen is a 7-subunit, pore-forming heptamer
that allows 2 additional toxic anthrax protreins (Lethal Factor
and Edema Factor) to enter and destroy cells. The white colored
subunit in this spacefilled model is a “dominant negative
inhibitor” that prevents pore formation. This inhibitor
is being developed in Dr. John Collier’s Laboratory (Harvard
Medical School) as a biodefense agent against anthrax infection. |
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tRNA 3.5"
So that’s
what it looks like! |
This
spacefilled model of tRNA (the adapter molecule that delivers
activated amino acids to the ribosome) will prompt students to
ask many questions about protein synthesis. Both the 3" end
where the amino acids are “charged,” and the anticodon
that base-pairs with mRNA are clearly color-coded in this mini
model.
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Antibody 3.5"
Another Common Protein Motif |
Antibodies (immunoglobulins) area composed of 12 immunoglobulin folds; 4 in each heavy chain (colored yellow in the model), and 2 in each light chain (colored red in the model). The antigen binding site of an antibody is composed of the ends of two immunoglobulin folds (1 yellow heavy chain and 1 red light chain) that are positioned at the tips of the Y-shaped antibody
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IgG Fold 3.25"
Another Common Protein Motif |
The immunoglobulin (IgG) fold consists of a four-stranded beta sheet – opposite a three-stranded beta sheet - joined by a disulfide bonds. This highly successful protein fold is found in many proteins, especially those that function in our immune system.
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Beta Globin Mini Model 4"
An Oxygen Transporter |
ß-Globin is a small protein (146 amino acids) that transports oxygen throughout our bodies. This model features: the heme group with its iron atom which binds oxygen, the location of the sickle cell mutation; and selected charged, hydrophobic and hydrophylic sidechains. The model is useful in teaching both physiology and protein structure. While at a smaller scale, this Mini Model can be used as an accurate template when using the Mini-Toober ß-Globin Folding kit (above). Mini Models are made of plaster by rapid prototyping and should be handled with care.
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Zinc Finger 3.5"
A Common Protein Motif |
A zinc finger is a short (~30 amino acid) protein motif that is often found in proteins that bind DNA. Zif268 is a DNA binding protein that contains three consecutive zinc fingers. Proteins with zinc fingers are one of the largest families of proteins found in the human genome. Each zinc finger consists of a two stranded beta-sheet and a short alpha-helix. Its structure is stabilized by two cysteine and two histidine sidechains that bind to a single zinc atom. Mini Models are made of plaster by rapid prototyping and should be handled with care.
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