Exploring Proteins
Different proteins can appear very different and perform diverse
functions (e.g. the water-soluble antibodies involved in the immune
system and the water-insoluble keratin of hair, hooves and feathers).
Despite this, each one is made up of amino acid subunits.
There about 20 different amino acids that all have a similar chemical
structure but behave in very different ways because they have
different side groups. Hence, stringing them together in different
combinations produces very different proteins.
Each amino acid has an amino group (NH2) and a carboxylic acid group
(COOH). The R group is a different molecule in different amino acids
which can make them neutral, acidic, alkaline, aromatic (has a ring
structure) or sulphur-containing.
When 2 amino acids are joined together (condensation) the amino group
from one and the acid group from another form a bond, producing one
molecule of water. The bond formed is called a peptide bond.
Hydrolysis is the opposite of condensation and is the breaking of a
peptide bond using a molecule of water.
Primary structure of proteins
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Due to the bonding and the shape and chemical nature of different
amino acids, the shape of a whole chain of amino acids (a polypeptide
or protein) is specific.
This will affect the properties of the protein, just as the type of a
necklace depends on the type of beads and how they are strung
together. Therefore, the primary structure depends on the order and
number of amino acids in a particular protein.
For example: Haemoglobin is made up of 4 polypeptide chains, 2a chains
and 2b chains, each with a haem group attached. There are 146 amino
acids in each chain. If just one of these is wrong, serious problems
can arise (e.g. sickle cell anaemia). The red blood cells become
distorted, the amount of oxygen they can carry is reduced and blood
capillaries can be blocked, leading to acute pains called crises.
Secondary structure of proteins
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This is the basic shape that the chain of amino acids takes on.
J.C. Biro, B. Benyó, C. Sansom, Á. Szlávecz, G. Fördös, T. Micsik, and Z. Benyó; A common periodic table of codons and amino acids. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 306 (2003) 408–415.
... the codon for the amino acid methionine is added the head of each chain.
Amino acids are the building blocks of all proteins, which are complex molecules containing elements such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. Amino acids linked by peptide bonds create polypeptides. When there are many polypeptides linked together in a chain, and it is folded to fit a particular function, it creates a protein. However if it was not folded into a certain shape, it would not become a protein, rather just a Polypeptide.
Protein have connection with amino acid to help in functions of: skin, muscle, hair and bones
In the secondary structure, the conformations of the proteins or amino acid chain depend on the hydrogen bonding between the molecules. Two main types of secondary structures are α-helices and the ß-sheets. In Cx26, the amino acid sequence forms into a α-helical domains. In the Cx26 protein there is also another secondary structure called 310 helix.
Proteins are created from amino acids, and there are only to ways for our body to create them. They can be made from scratch or by modifying or altering other amino acids. A few essential amino acids can only be gotten from foods, there for high protein food choices certainly play a role in our health and wellbeing .
So now we have an RNA strand. From this strand the protein will be synthesized, this is called translation (RNA is translated into protein). A protein is made from amino acids; these form a strand. I show the protein strand as a linear line, but in reality complex interactions between amino acids lead to 3 dimensional forms that are essential for the functioning of the protein. The translation of RNA to protein is different than the synthesis of RNA from DNA (transcription). When the DNA was transcribed into RNA, one base of DNA corresponded to one base of RNA, this 1 to 1 relation is not used in the translation to protein. During this translation, 1 amino acid is added to the protein strand for every 3 bases in the RNA. So a RNA sequence of 48 bases codes for a protein strand
of their codons may be split by introns, so information for a single amino acid
Macromolecules are define as large molecules of structures found in living organisms. There are four types of macromolecules, which are proteins, carbohydrate, nucleic acid, and lipids also known as fats. Carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids are made of monomers, which are structural units that eventually attached together to form polymers (Dooley 20). For instance, proteins are made of amino acids, which are monomers. In addition, it has a complex structure, which consist of four different levels, primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. The first structure of protein is the primary structure, which is the sequence of amino acid, while in the secondary structure alpha and beta helices are formed. The structure, in which a protein becomes active, is in the tertiary structure, which is where polypeptide subunits fold. Meanwhile, only certain proteins have the quaternary structure, which is when, more than one polypeptide folds. Proteins are prominent macromolecules mainly because of their numerous functions. For instance, proteins are known for increasing the rate of reactions due to that enzymes are a type of protein. In addition, they are a form of defense mechanism such as they attack pathogens, which cause diseases. In other words, scientists study and gain more insight on certain illness and how to prevent them by using proteins. For example, in a recent study,
Proteins are essential to organisms and many processes that keep people functioning and living every day. Proteins are comprised of polypeptides that are folded into different forms to fulfill a biological function. Each polypeptide is part of a single, linear chain of amino acids that are bonded by peptide bonds. The amino acid sequence of these polymer chains encodes the sequence of genes. These different genes can code for proteins that make enzymes, muscle structure, and even mechanical functions.
The elongation cycle is highly conserved across all kingdoms of life. Each cycle of elongation adds one amino acid to the C-terminus of the newly synthesized peptide (Yu et al., 2014). Figure 9 describes the steps involved in the elongation cycle.
Proteins are polymers of amino acids when amino acids join together in different combinations, they form proteins. there are many categories of proteins; structural, contractile, transport and hormones each protein has a different function within living organisms.
As we probably can recall deep in our brains from high school biology class, protein is one of the “building blocks of life.” It runs through the cells of our body, and we need it in order to achieve optimal health. So,
The R-group (side chain) makes each amino acid unique. Some R-groups are acidic and some are basic. Some are polar, nonpolar, and may even contain large ring structures.
Proteins are polymers of amino acids. As lipids and polysaccharides, proteins are formed as a result of dehydration synthesis. The nitrogen of the amino group of an amino acid is bound to the carbon group of another amino acid with a single covalent bond, and water is liberated. Through dehydration synthesis, amino acids are able to link together to form polypeptides. For dehydration synthesis to occur, the carboxyl group of an amino acid needs to be adjacent to another amino acid group. So when they are adjacent, an enzyme can cause them to join by catalyzing dehydration synthesis. ("Amino Acid")