Module 1 - From Polypeptide to Protein Flashcards
what are the functions of proteins?
- structural component of the cell
- sensors for environmental changes and mechanisms for relaying this information to the cell
- enzymes/catalysts for chemical reactions
- gene regulation
- signalling molecules between cells
- molecular motors
- organelle identity and function
N-terminus
amino end of basic amino acid structure
C-terminus
carboxyl end of basic amino acid structure
peptide bonds
these bonds link amino acid residues to form a chain. they form by condensation reactions between a carboxyl group of one amino acids and an amino group of another
what does the basic amino acid structure include?
amino group (NH3+), carboxyl group (COO-), hydrogen, and variable R group
how are amino acids usually classified?
solubility in water, polarity of side chain
solubility
physical property of molecule that can allow for temporary hydrogen bonding with water
hydrophilic molecule
charge-polarized and capable of hydrogen bonding in water
hydrophobic molecule
not electrically polarized and unable to form hydrogen bonds with water. thus, the water repels them in favour of bonding with itself
saturated hydrocarbons
Long chain of carbons linked together by single bonds
hydrophobic amino acids: non-polar side chains
aromatic amino acids: phenylalanine (Phe), tyrosine (Tyr), tryptophan (Trp)
aliphatic amino acids: alanine (Ala), valine (Val), isoleucine (Ile), leucine (Leu), methionine (Met)
difference between aromatic amino acids and aliphatic amino acids?
aromatic amino acids have an aromatic side chain while aliphatic amino acids have a hydrocarbon side chain
what sorts of molecules are water soluble?
- molecules with an -OH group at one end (or O- at pH of 7.0)
- molecules with an -NH2 group at one end (or NH3+ at pH of 7.0)
hydrophobic amino acids: charged side chains
basic amino acids (positively charged): lysine (Lys), arginine (Arg)
acidic amino acids (negatively charged): Aspartic Acid (Asp), Glutamic Acid (Glu)
hydrophilic amino acids: polar, uncharged
- serine (Ser) and threonine (Thr) are uncharged at neutral pH, but have hydroxyl groups that can participate in hydrogen bonding
- asparagine (Asn) and glutamine (Gln) are uncharged but have polar amide groups
special amino acids
- cysteine (Cys) can form covalent bonds with other cysteine residues. these bonds are called disulphide bridges
- glycine (Gly) is very small. since it’s side chain is just hydrogen, it can allow bends in polypeptides
- proline (Pro) forces a kink in the peptide chain
- histidine (His) has an imidazole side chain that shifts between a positive charge and a neutral charge depending on the pH of the environment
where does peptide bond formation/translation occur?
ribosome
translation process
- ribosome is made up of 1 small subunit and 1 large subunit
- amino acids are carried into the ribosome attached with tRNAs
- small subunit of ribosome positions mRNA so it can be read in groups of 3, i.e. codon
- each codon on mRNA matches with anticodon on tRNA
- as mRNA passes through the ribosome, it is translated into an amino acid sequence
- this happens particularly with 3 sites: A site, P site, E site
- the tRNA enters the A site and is tested for a codon-anticodon match with the mRNA. if the match is correct, the tRNA is shifted to the P site and the amino acid it carries is attached to the end of the amino acid chain. then the spent tRNA is moved to E site to be ejected and recycled
4 levels of protein organization
primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary structure, quaternary structure
primary structure
the linear arrangement of amino acids
number of different possible polypeptide sequences and how to determine this?
- 20^n polypeptide sequences
- relies on the number of amino acids found in the peptide and on the fact that there are 20 amino acids that can be a part of the peptide
statistical coil
represents the idea that proteins have a collection of structures that they switch between. suggests that a protein spends most of its time in a particular structure, but not 100% of the time
what local interactions stabilize protein structures?
ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, van Der Waal forces, hydrophobic effect
ionic bond
attraction between a positively charged cation and a negatively charged anion