AP Biology - Cell Signaling Diseases Project



AP Biology Research - Cell Signaling Project

INTRODUCTION

Communication between cells is important in order to ensure that all cells are performing their required functions. Cell to cell communication usually takes the form of a signal transduction pathway. You can think of such a pathway as a row of dominoes, all standing on their ends. Push one domino over, and the rest fall, due their direct or indirect association with the first one you pushed over.

Some signals that cells send only work over a short distance. For example, in the brain, neurotransmitters allow one neuron to excite its neighbor. The signal travels no further. Other signals, however, do travel a further distance. Hormones, for example, are secreted by a source organ and travel to target cells, equipped with specialized receptors, in remote regions of the body.

To complete this project you will need to:

Review information about how cell signaling works:

1. understand the methods of local and long distance signaling in multi-cellular organisms.

2. explain the stages of a signal transduction pathway.

3. understand the role of extracellular molecules (or ligands) in signal transduction.

4. recognize the role of protein kinases, cyclic AMP or calcium ions (depending on signal sent in the regulation of cellular biochemical pathways).

5. describe what a cell does when it receives a signal (what kinds of cellular processes are altered upon receipt of a signal).

Choose which signaling molecule to discuss: either a neurotransmitter (ex. Acetylcholine, Dopamine, Serotonin, Histamine, etc.) or a hormone (ex. Glucagon, Testosterone, HGH (Human Growth Hormone), Thyroxin, Epinephrine, etc.)

Share this information in a visual and oral presentation.

Your responsibility is to develop an interactive poster (ex. flaps hiding info, moveable parts, spinning wheels of info, etc.) that explains the basics of the cell signaling process and its relationship to a healthy multi-cellular organism.

Much of this research is "cutting edge," so your poster must explain how a ligand binds, the signal transduction pathway, and the cellular response in a reader-friendly format. Pictures and graphics are required. It is not expected that you to work at the graduate level on this project, but it is expected that you be able to explain, in your own words, the basics of the signal transduction pathway and cellular response.

Here are some good places to start researching cell signaling:

















Grading: Total Points – 100

This will be your only grade on this information other than the test (cell to cell signaling, signal transduction pathways); it is part of your “Project” grade in AP Biology.

Format - poster - 50 points (will either stand alone or against a wall)

• Use a “science fair type of poster” - 20" X 30" minimum (a tri-fold works well for this project ()

• All information must be typed; use headings and appropriate font sizes

• MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT, AND VISUALS CONCERNING THE FOLLOWING:

1. A Ligand

2. A Protein Receptor

3. A Transduction Pathway

4. A Cellular Response

• Neat/colorful presentation - no spelling or grammatical errors

• Include name(s), Course & Block in lower right corner of poster

• Include list of sources used for project (MLA) on back of poster

Content - 40 points

• Cell Signal - basics only – name, type, and function in organism

• Cell signaling pathway involved

• Correct mechanism

• Graphics of pathway

Presentation - 10 points

• 2-4 minute presentation of poster to class that may be videoed by the teacher.

• Be able to put content into "own words" and explain poster while using “interactive” parts.

• No direct reading off poster –all team members must speak and be able to answer questions asked of them by class or instructor.

|AP Biology Project: Interactive Cell Signaling [pic] |

| |

|CATEGORY |4 |3 |2 |1 |

|Content |Covers topic in-depth with|Includes essential |Includes essential |Content is minimal OR |

| |details and examples. |knowledge about the topic.|information about the |there are several factual|

| |Subject knowledge is |Subject knowledge appears |topic but there are 1-2 |errors. |

| |excellent. |to be good. |factual errors. | |

|Attractiveness |Makes excellent use of |Makes good use of font, |Makes use of font, color,|Use of font, color, |

| |font, color, graphics, |color, graphics, effects, |graphics, effects, etc. |graphics, effects etc. is|

| |effects, etc. to enhance |etc. to enhance the |but occasionally these |minimal concerning poster|

| |the poster. |poster. |detract from the poster |content. |

| | | |content. | |

|Sources |Source information |Source information |Source information |Very little or no source |

| |collected for all |collected for all |collected for graphics, |information was |

| |graphics, facts and |graphics, facts and |facts and quotes, but not|collected. |

| |quotes. All documented in |quotes. Most documented in|documented in desired | |

| |desired format. |desired format. |format. | |

|Workload |The workload is divided |The workload is divided |The workload was divided,|The workload was not |

| |and shared equally by all |and shared fairly by all |but one person in the |divided OR several people|

| |team members. |team members, though |group is viewed as not |in the group are viewed |

| | |workloads may vary from |doing his/her fair share |as not doing their fair |

| | |person to person. |of the work. |share of the work. |

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