Students often struggle with visualizing protein structures when working with two-dimensional textbook and lecture materials, so introducing them to 3D visualization software developed by and for structural biologists offers them a unique opportunity to work with authentic data while furthering their spatial reasoning skills and understanding of molecular structure and function. This article presents an active learning virtual laboratory in which students use authentic structural biology data to investigate the effects of both hypothetical and real-world SARS-CoV-2 mutations on the virus’s ability to bind to human ACE2 receptors and infect a host, causing COVID-19. Through this activity, introductory-level college students or advanced high school students gain a better understanding of applied biology, such as how vaccines and treatments are designed, as well as strengthening their understanding of core disciplinary concepts, such as the relationship between protein structure and function and the central dogma of molecular biology. While there were challenges during the pilot phase of activity development due to COVID-19 restrictions, students in the pilot groups came away from the activity with deeper understanding of the relationship between proteins and amino acid sequences and a new appreciation for the ways researchers design treatments for and study viruses.
From COVID-19 to the Central Dogma: Investigating the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein
GEORGE P. MCGUIRE ([email protected]) is a recent graduate of the College STEM Teaching program at Florida State University (FSU) and an adjunct professor of biology at Tallahassee Community College (TCC) in Tallahassee, FL 32306.
CAMILA V. LUNA ([email protected]) is a recent graduate of the College STEM Teaching program at FSU, former adjunct professor at TCC, and current laboratory technician at Quest Diagnostics, Seattle, WA 98134.
ERICA M. STAEHLING ([email protected]) is the director of the STEM Teaching program and associate director of the Office of STEM Teaching Activities at FSU.
M. ELIZABETH STROUPE ([email protected]) is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Science at FSU.
George P. McGuire, Camila V. Luna, Erica M. Staehling, M. Elizabeth Stroupe; From COVID-19 to the Central Dogma: Investigating the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. The American Biology Teacher 1 September 2022; 84 (7): 410–414. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2022.84.7.410
Download citation file: