This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate course at UW-Madison .
What is Gene Ontology (GO)?______________________________________________________________________
The gene ontology (GO) project serves to provide standardized descriptions of genes and their products [1]. This is useful for enabling effective communication between biologists, especially since one term may mean different things in different areas of study.
GO terms are classified into three aspects:
Biological process describes what the gene product does at the cellular, tissue and organismal level. It differs from molecular function in that it is characterized by more than one distinct step, wheareas molecular function describes specific activity at the molecular level. The gene product localizes to certain parts of cells as described by the cellular component term.
What does GO tell us about DRD2?__________________________________________________________________________
The GO terms for DRD2 are obtained from QuickGO and are listed as follows:
Biological Process
G-Protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signalling (GO:0007186)
Locomotory behavior (GO:0007626)
Response to cocaine (GO:0042220)
Regulation of dopamine secretion (GO:0014059)
Associative learning (GO:0008306)
Temperature homeostasis (GO:0001659)
Cellular Component
Plasma membrane (GO:0005886)
Acrosomal vesicle (GO:0001669)
Postsynaptic density (GO:0014069)
Molecular Function
Dopamine neurotransmitter activity via G protein coupling (GO:0001591)
Discussion_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Most of the output from the GO searches are in line with information obtained from literature since many of the processes described are involved in dopamine signalling, which plays a role in behavioral response and regulation. The output also lists plasma membrane and postsynaptic density as cellular components of DRD2, which makes sense since the receptor would have to be localized towards the external region of the cell in order to interact with dopamine.
However, it is interesting to note that DRD2 is listed as a component of acrosomal vesicles. The acrosome is a structure covering the head of sperm cells. It contains vesicles filled with enzymes that help break down the outer membrane of egg cells, a process necessary for fertilization.
References
[1] Ontology Documentation. http://geneontology.org/page/ontology-documentation
The gene ontology (GO) project serves to provide standardized descriptions of genes and their products [1]. This is useful for enabling effective communication between biologists, especially since one term may mean different things in different areas of study.
GO terms are classified into three aspects:
Biological process describes what the gene product does at the cellular, tissue and organismal level. It differs from molecular function in that it is characterized by more than one distinct step, wheareas molecular function describes specific activity at the molecular level. The gene product localizes to certain parts of cells as described by the cellular component term.
What does GO tell us about DRD2?__________________________________________________________________________
The GO terms for DRD2 are obtained from QuickGO and are listed as follows:
Biological Process
G-Protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signalling (GO:0007186)
Locomotory behavior (GO:0007626)
Response to cocaine (GO:0042220)
Regulation of dopamine secretion (GO:0014059)
Associative learning (GO:0008306)
Temperature homeostasis (GO:0001659)
Cellular Component
Plasma membrane (GO:0005886)
Acrosomal vesicle (GO:0001669)
Postsynaptic density (GO:0014069)
Molecular Function
Dopamine neurotransmitter activity via G protein coupling (GO:0001591)
Discussion_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Most of the output from the GO searches are in line with information obtained from literature since many of the processes described are involved in dopamine signalling, which plays a role in behavioral response and regulation. The output also lists plasma membrane and postsynaptic density as cellular components of DRD2, which makes sense since the receptor would have to be localized towards the external region of the cell in order to interact with dopamine.
However, it is interesting to note that DRD2 is listed as a component of acrosomal vesicles. The acrosome is a structure covering the head of sperm cells. It contains vesicles filled with enzymes that help break down the outer membrane of egg cells, a process necessary for fertilization.
References
[1] Ontology Documentation. http://geneontology.org/page/ontology-documentation