Explain how your review of literature led to one research questio? (12 marks – show working)

1. Explain how your review of literature led to one research questio? (12 marks – show working)

2. From the information given in the problem, what can you deduce about the properties of the peptidase involved in the conversion of peptide A to peptide B? (You will need to know what a chelator and a lectin are, what thiol reagents such as iodoacetate do and the significance of the Triton and NaCl experiments) (10 marks)

3. By reference to a text book, make a list of peptides which are important in the regulation of blood pressure. From the information given in this problem and what you have deduced in answer to the questions so far, can you name peptides A and B and the peptidase which converts A to B? (4 marks)

4. From what precursor is peptide A derived and what is its role in the regulation of blood pressure? (5 marks)

5. What type of inhibition is exerted on the peptidase by the snake venom compound? Calculate the Km of the substrate for the peptidase. Bearing in mind the nature of the inhibition, what general class of compound might the snake venom inhibitor belong to? (11 marks – show working/ reasoning)

6. The venom inhibitor showed antihypertensive properties when injected but not when taken by mouth. Why might this be? (3 marks)

7. This inhibitor (and related snake venom compounds) has been used as a rational basis for the design of clinically-effective antihypertensive compounds. What are the requirements for such a drug? (5 marks)