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SMART Team 2012

SMART Team 2012. Matthew Gargulak. What is SMART Team?. SMART Team is a program run by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, in which students study professional research on a specific protein, and then use a program called “ jmol ” to create a 3D model of the protein.

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SMART Team 2012

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  1. SMART Team 2012 Matthew Gargulak

  2. What is SMART Team? • SMART Team is a program run by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, in which students study professional research on a specific protein, and then use a program called “jmol” to create a 3D model of the protein. http://people.msoe.edu/~uphoff/images/msoe.jpg http://screenshots.de.sftcdn.net/de/scrn/79000/79152/jmol-5.jpg

  3. The Black Plague • The most deadly epidemic in human history • Claimed almost 100,000,000 lives (~30-60% of Europe) • First encountered in Sicily in 1347 • Covered every inch of Europe by 1353 • Epidemic didn’t end until 1671 • Minor outbreaks have been recorded as recently as 1908, and the most recent isolated case appeared in 2009 • It’s still very much alive today

  4. Comes in three forms: • Bubonic (lymphatic infection) • Pneumonic (respiratory infection) • Septicemic (blood infection) • All caused by the same bacteria: Yersinia pestis • The bacteria is found naturally in fleas, and is transmitted by the flea’s bite. • Causes intense flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, and guaranteed death after roughly three days. • Once infected, it spreads throughout the body at an alarmingly fast rate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flea_infected_with_yersinia_pestis.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yersinia_pestis.jpg http://uhavax.hartford.edu/bugl/images/buboneck.jpg

  5. But Why is it So Deadly? http://s3.hubimg.com/u/4780306_f520.jpg

  6. Y.pestis is a gram-negative bacteria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gram-Cell-wall.svg http://www.rkm.com.au/BACTERIA/Yersinia-pestis.html

  7. Fibrin and Clotting • Fibrin is a fiber-like protein that is found naturally in the blood stream. • It allows blood clots to form by creating a sort of net around the wound. • Usually, this “net” helps to contain bacteria from an infection and prevent it from spreading. • If a clot becomes too large, it can block off an entire blood vessel, leading to a condition called “thrombosis” http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljie81F2VQ1qcmrkno1_500.jpg

  8. Plasmin and Plasminogen • Too keep fibrin clots from becoming too large, your blood also contains a protein called “plasminogen”. • Plasminogen doesn’t do much its own, but under certain conditions it will itself generate an enzyme called “plasmin”. • Plasmin dissolves fibrin to break up clots. • Plasminogen is usually activated by a number of natural activators that the body creates.

  9. What Does this all Have to Do With the Plague? • The Y.pestis bacteria creates an enzyme referred to as “PLA” • The “PLA” protein was the main research topic for this year’s SMART Team.

  10. PLA is designed to latch onto plasminogen and cut a very specific strand, forcing it to generate plasmin. • This extra plasmin destroys the fibrin clot around the area of infection, allowing the Y.pestis bacteria to spread unhindered.

  11. Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_black_death http://cbm.msoe.edu/includes/pdf/smart2012/Pla_Primary_Citation_2x55.pdf http://cbm.msoe.edu/includes/pdf/smart2012/Plague_Past_Present_Future.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasminogen

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