Question

The BiP chaperone (homolog of Hsp70) is an ER resident protein.

What would you expect to happen to protein folding in the ER if the BiP gene had a missense mutation in its KDEL domain?
a. Many ER lumen proteins would be misfolded due to lack of BiP
b. No impact, since KDEL is not required for BiP to bind hydrophobic domains
c. ER proteins will be folded better, since KDEL no longer interferes with BiP activity

Answer 1

A missense mutation in the BiP gene's KDEL domain would result in many ER lumen proteins being misfolded due to the lack of functional BiP.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the BiP gene had a missense mutation in its KDEL domain, it would likely result in many ER lumen proteins being misfolded due to the lack of functional BiP.

The KDEL domain functions as a retrieval signal that allows BiP to bind to and help fold newly synthesized proteins in the ER. Without a functional KDEL domain, BiP would not be able to properly interact with these proteins, leading to their misfolding.