Rough draft.This research track is under review with Dr. Atit's lab. Content and sequence may still change.

Here's an example of what's due today

The Gene at 1q32 Has a Name: IRF6, From DNA to Protein

Genetics domain · Lesson 5 of 20 · Medical Interventions (MI), with PBS overlap

Today's goal: Students will trace a gene from DNA to mRNA to protein (transcription and translation) and identify IRF6 as the gene at 1q32 that makes the IRF6 protein, a transcription factor and the best-understood window into how clefts happen.

Learn first

What a finished product looks like

This is a model of the work you should turn in. Use it to check your own: match the structure and the level of detail, do not copy it. Your wording should be your own.

Molecular summary

Completes: A gene-to-protein case summary applying the central dogma to the exemplar cleft gene.

Molecular summary:

The 1q32 gene is IRF6.
DNA to mRNA = transcription (the gene is copied into messenger RNA in the nucleus).
mRNA to protein = translation (the ribosome reads the mRNA and builds the 467-amino-acid chain).
The IRF6 protein is a transcription factor that binds DNA and controls other genes during palate fusion.

Prediction: If the IRF6 protein cannot bind DNA, transcription and translation still occur and a full-length protein is built, but it fails its DNA-binding job, so the target genes that drive palate closure are not switched on correctly and the shelves may fail to fuse.

Also due today: Add the one-sentence prediction about a DNA-binding failure.

Learn first

How this was built, step by step

The finished product above did not appear all at once. Here is the path from the question to the turned-in work, so you can follow the same steps.

1Start from the address you already have: the gene sits at 1q32 (from the lesson).
2Name the gene and its product: the gene is IRF6; its product is the 467-amino-acid IRF6 .
3Apply the central dogma: write DNA to mRNA as , then mRNA to as .
4State the 's job: IRF6 is a , so it binds DNA and switches other genes on or off.
5Predict the failure: if the cannot bind DNA, it is still built, but the genes that close the are not switched on.
6Check it against the rubric, then submit.

Do the work

The timeline behind this work

1990s
in Van der Woude families narrows the gene to band 1q32.
2002
Kondo and colleagues find mutations in one gene, IRF6, in 46 VWS families, naming the gene at 1q32.
Same study
They show IRF6 mRNA is high at the medial edge of the fusing , the that must seal.
Since then
IRF6 becomes the best-understood window into how clefts happen.

How this is graded (rubric)

For: Fill in the case file's molecular summary naming the 1q32 gene, the DNA-to-mRNA and mRNA-to-protein steps, and the kind of protein IRF6 is, then predict what could go wrong in palate fusion if the IRF6 protein cannot bind DNA.

Criterion	Proficient	Developing	Beginning
Complete	Every required part of the artifact is present and filled in.	Most parts are present, but one is missing or left blank.	Several parts are missing.
Accurate	The science and data are correct and match the evidence.	Mostly correct, with a small factual slip.	Key science or data is wrong.
Scientific reasoning (CER)	States a claim, backs it with specific evidence, and explains the reasoning.	Has a claim and evidence, but the reasoning is thin or missing.	Gives an answer with no evidence or reasoning.
Professional communication	Clear, organized, and labeled the way a clinician or scientist would write it.	Readable but disorganized or missing labels.	Hard to follow.
Submitted	Turned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed.	Turned in, but in the wrong place or unconfirmed.	Not turned in.

How the model answer scores against this rubric

CompleteProficient: Nothing is left blank: the model fills every part of "Fill in the case file's molecular summary naming the 1q32 gene, the DNA-to-mRNA and mRNA-to-protein steps, and the kind of protein IRF6 is, then predict what could go wrong in palate fusion if the IRF6 protein cannot bind DNA.".
AccurateProficient: Every number and claim matches the case evidence.
Scientific reasoning (CER)Proficient: It names a claim, cites the specific evidence, and explains the reasoning, not just the answer.
Professional communicationProficient: It is organized and labeled like a real chart note.
SubmittedProficient: It would be turned in on Schoology and confirmed.

Check yourself

WebXam problem for today's skill

One exam-style question that uses exactly what you practiced today. Try it before you reveal the answer, then read why each choice is right or wrong.

WebXam-style domain: Central dogma and protein synthesisSelf-check skill: Tracing a gene from DNA to mRNA to a transcription-factor protein

IRF6 is the gene at 1q32, and its 467-amino-acid protein is a transcription factor. A change makes the finished IRF6 protein unable to bind DNA. Which statement is correct about what happens?

Tap an answer to see the full explanation. Nothing is recorded or graded.

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