Understanding Protein Structures: From Primary to Quaternary

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Using appropriate examples and diagrams, describe the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins. What molecular forces hold these structures? Proteins are a fundamental macromolecule, playing an essential role in the creation of life, coded for by genes in DNA. Proteins have a wide range of functions in the body, with perhaps the most significant being their role as enzymes. It is these enzymes that are responsible for the biological catalysis of almost all essential cellular reactions that constitute basic life. This range would not be possible without their diversity in structure, as a protein’s structure is directly linked to its functions. Proteins are able to achieve this variety by having a four-tiered structural ‘hierarchy’ with four layers of structure; primary, secondary, tertiary and …show more content…

Horton, R.A. Scrimgeour, G. et al. (2014a) "Amino Acids and the Primary Structure of Proteins" In Principles of Biochemistry: Pearson New International Edition Fifth Edition ed. Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2JE: Pearson Education Limited. pp. 83. Moran, L.A. Horton, R.A. Scrimgeour, G. et al. (2014b) "Amino Acids and the Primary Structures of Proteins" In Principles of Biochemistry: Pearson New International Edition Fifth Edition ed. Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2JE: Pearson Education Limited. pp. 94. Moran, L.A. Horton, R.A. Scrimgeour, G. et al. (2014c) "Proteins: Three-Dimensional Structure and Function" In Principles of Biochemistry: Pearson New International Edition Fifth Edition ed. Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2JE: Pearson Education Limited. pp. 133-134, 135. Richardson, J.S. (2007) The Anatomy and Taxonomy of Protein Structure. [Online]. Available from: http://kinemage.biochem.duke.edu/teaching/anatax/html/anatax.2b.html [Accessed October 2014]. Wu, G., Wu, Z., Dai, Z., et al. (2013) Dietary requirements of "nutritionally non-essential amino acids" by animals and humans. Amino acids, 44 (4):

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