lecture 8

Question 1

what are amino acid polymers?

Answer 1

• amino acids linked by petide bond
• polypeptide is polymer of amino acids

Question 2

what are the levels of protein structure?

Answer 2

• primary (unique sequence of amino acids, determined by inherited genetic info)
• secondary (found in most, coils/folds in polypetide chain; repeating constituents of polypetide backbone)
• tertiary (ineractions among R groups, side chains)
• quaternary (two or more polypetptides join to form protein; eg. collagen, haemoglobin)

Question 3

what determines protein structure?

Answer 3

• primary
• physical/chemical conditions
• alterations to pH, salt conc., temp., environmental factors causing unravel of protein
• denaturation (loss of native structure)