High School

In the sequence alignment of a protein, position 94 is always L, I, V, or F. Which of the following conclusions is reasonable based on this information?

A) The protein is likely to have a hydrophobic region at position 94.
B) The protein is likely to have a hydrophilic region at position 94.
C) The protein is likely to have a positively charged region at position 94.
D) The protein is likely to have a negatively charged region at position 94.

Answer :

The most likely conclusion is that the protein has a hydrophobic region at position 94, as leucine, isoleucine, valine, and phenylalanine are all hydrophobic amino acids, so the correct option is (a).

The protein is likely to have a hydrophobic region at position 94, In protein sequences, hydrophobic amino acids like leucine (l), isoleucine (i), valine (v), and phenylalanine (f) tend to be found in regions that interact with hydrophobic environments such as the interior of a folded protein or transmembrane domains. These four amino acids have hydrophobic side chains, which means they are more likely to be found within cell membranes or the interior of proteins, away from the aqueous environment.

Regions of a protein that are hydrophobic tend to avoid contact with water, and this is a recurring theme in membrane proteins, where amino acids with hydrophobic side chains occupy positions within lipid bilayers. These amino acids prefer to be in environments where they can avoid interaction with water, thus stabilizing the structure of the protein within the membrane. Consequently, for position 94 to consistently involve leucine, isoleucine, valine, or phenylalanine, it indicates that this position is part of a hydrophobic region.

Since the R-groups of these amino acids have high hydrophobicity values, a position occupied by any of these amino acids is likely to contribute to a hydrophobic area. This is opposed to hydrophilic regions, which contain amino acids with polar or charged side chains that interact with the aqueous environment. Therefore, the other options mentioning hydrophilic or charged regions are less likely based on the amino acids observed at position 94, so the correct option is (a).