biology

NPRL3

NPRL3 is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NPRL3 rather than just read about it. In short: Nitrogen permease regulator-like 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NPRL3 gene. Function NPRL3 is a human protein of poorly understood function but has been associated with cancer.

Key takeaways

NPRL3 belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NPRL3 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NPRL3 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nitrogen permease regulator-like 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NPRL3 gene.

Function NPRL3 is a human protein of poorly understood function but has been associated with cancer. The most prominent function ascribed to Nprl3 to date is as part of the GATOR1 complex (with NPRL2 and DEPDC5) that inhibits the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase-complex-1 (mTORC1) on the surface of the lysosome (equivalent of degradative vacuole in yeast) via an effect on the Rag GTPase complex. Additionally, Nprl3 has been shown to adjust cell metabolism via the TOR pathway, and this is important for development of the cardiovascular system in mammals. Without this effect, spontaneous cell apoptosis would occur. A similar function for Nprl3 has been identified in the female reproductive system of Drosophila during times of protein scarcity.

Gene In Homo sapiens, the NPRL3 gene is located at C16orf35. The gene is composed of 14 exons at 53 kbp in length. This gene is highly conserved in vertebrates which is upstream from the alpha globin gene cluster. Within the fifth intron of the gene there is a regulatory section of DNA HS-40 which regulates the expression of the alpha globin. This means that the gene C16orf35 is expressed in early erythrocytes accompanying hemoglobin production.

Structure The human nitrogen permease regulator-like 3 protein has 569 amino acids.

Domains There is a predicted N-terminal longin domain within the Nprl3 protein (amino acids 4–168). At the C terminus, there are three consecutive winged helix turn helix (HTH) domains. These regions are predicted bind to another macromolecule, which could be DNA, RNA or protein.

References

This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NPRL3

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NPRL3 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NPRL3 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NPRL3 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NPRL3

In research: NPRL3 appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NPRL3 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NPRL3 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Genes on human chromosome 16, Human chromosome 16 gene stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NPRL3 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NPRL3 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NPRL3 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NPRL3 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NPRL3 in simple terms?

Nitrogen permease regulator-like 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NPRL3 gene. Function NPRL3 is a human protein of poorly understood function but has been associated with cancer.

Why does NPRL3 matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NPRL3?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NPRL3.