Protein Structure Flashcards
What is the primary structure?
It is the order of the amino acids
What is secondary structure mainly based on?
Main chain amide-amide hydrogen bonds.
The interactions in the secondary structure are due to the main chain of hydrogen bonds.
What makes NH a good hydrogen bond donor?
IDK
What amino acids favour alpha helix conformation?
Met, Ala, Leu, Glu & Lys.
What amino acids disfavour alpha helix conformation?
Gly, Pro because they are too bulky.
What is the alpha helix held together by?
It’s a right-handed helix held together by hydrogen bonds between the amide nitrogen & hydrogens and oxygens on the carbonyls.
How are the angles arranged for the beta-sheet?
Fairly linear
How are the side chains and main chain arranged in the beta sheet?
The side changes alternatively stick out from either side to keep them out of the way of the main chain and the main molecule is arranged in a zigzag way.
The carbonyls point in the same place and the hydrogens point in the same plane.
Why do beta strands form beta sheets?
The NHs on the carbonyls line up with another strand as there is a hydrogen bond donor and a hydrogen bond acceptor facing each other.
They have really nice hydrogen bond complementarity.
L4 protein structure (rewatch)
What is an anti-parallel beta-sheet?
When the N terminus alternates down the sheet.
What amino acids favour the beta-sheet conformation?
Bulky amino acids favour this conformation because of their bulky side chains. A beta sheet gives them more space than they get in the alpha helix and they’re freer.
Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Threonine, Valine and Isoleucine.
What is tertiary structure and what determines it?
This is where the secondary structure comes together and it is dominated by side chains and how they react.
How can you break disulfide bonds?
By introducing reducing agents or by scrabbling it by introducing more sulfides which can displace the other sulfide.
When the displacement occurs it ruins the tertiary structure.
What are disulfide bonds?
Covalent bonds between Sulfur
What structure does lysosome have and why?
It has a beta-sheet and random coils.
It needs the random coils so the molecule can chain together correctly.
What does ribbon structure tell us?
It tells us the general size and shape of the protein and how it’s related to other proteins.