Proteins Flashcards
Mainly just pages 32 - 35 in the textbook
Are proteins large or small molecules?
Large (and complex) biological molecules.
How many major groups can proteins be placed into? (based on their functions)
Seven major classes based on functions.
Name the 7 types of protein:
Enzymes Structural proteins Defensive proteins Transport proteins Contractile proteins Storage proteins Signal proteins
There are millions of different proteins, although they are all made up of the same “building-blocks” AKA Amino Acids.
Roughly how many kinds of amino acid are there?
Approximately 20.
State the use of enzyme amylase.
Catalyses the digestion of starch.
State the use of enzyme ATPase.
Catalyses the breakdown and formation of ATP.
What is an enzyme?
A protein that acts as a biological catalyst to control biochemical reactions.
What is a structural protein?
A protein which forms part of the body of an organism.
Name a structural protein.
Collagen, it makes up hairs and ligaments.
Keratin, the major component of hair.
Which protein group does Keratin fall into?
Structural protein, it is the major component in hair.
State the use of insulin:
Controlling the blood glucose levels.
Which category of protein does Insulin fall into?
Signal proteins
What are signal proteins?
Proteins that carry messages around the body.
What are contractile proteins?
Proteins involved in movement.
Which protein group do actin and myosin fall into?
Contractile proteins, they are the proteins which enable muscle contraction.
Name the contractile proteins which are responsible for muscle contraction:
Actin and myosin
What are storage proteins used for?
Storage proteins serve as biological reserves of metal ions and amino acids (essentially just storage).
What is the function of the storage protein, albumen?
the protein that forms the white of eggs.
What are defensive proteins?
Proteins such as blood antibodies that fight infections.
Which protein grouping does a lymphocyte cell fall into?
Defensive proteins, it is a white blood cell which fights infection.
Which protein group does haemoglobin belong to?
Transport proteins, it carries oxygen in the blood.
What are transport proteins?
Transport proteins are proteins that transport substances across biological membranes
Amino acids have two functional groups, what are they?
Amino group (-NH2) Carboxyl group (-COOH)
What is the functional ending for the Amino group?
- NH2
What is the functional ending for the Carboxyl group?
- COOH
How is the amino group joined to the alpha carbon?
Covalently bonded.
What is the name given to the central carbon atom?
The Alpha Carbon.
What is the simplest amino acid?
Glycine (H - A single Hydrogen atom).
Amino acids are amphoteric, what does this mean?
They have both acidic and basic properties when they dissociate in water.
Which functional group gives amino acids their acidic properties?
Carboxyl group, which can donate a proton so the molecule becomes negatively charged when in an alkaline solution.
Which functional group gives amino acids their basic properties?
Amino group, which can take up a proton so the molecule becomes positively charged in an acidic solution.
What is the name given to ions with both positive and negative charges?
Zwitterions.
What do buffer systems do for the body that is necessary for survival?
They keep the pH levels of the blood and other fluids within tolerable levels.
How do amino acids act as buffers?
They have the ability to donate or receive protons which means they tend to resist changes in pH when a base or acid is added.
When two amino acids combine, what is the product called?
dipeptide
How is a dipeptide formed?
a condensation reaction between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another.
What bond links the two amino acids in a dipeptide?
a peptide bond, (between the carboxyl group of one and the amino group of the other).
How is a polypeptide chain formed?
Amino acids join through peptide bonds in a chain with a bond at both the carboxyl group and the amino group.
What are proteins made up of?
One or more polypeptide chains: they are essentially made up of amino acid monomers.
What do simple proteins consist of?
amino acids only.
What do conjugated proteins contain which simple proteins do not?
A non-amino acid part called a prosthetic group.
The shape of a protein is determined by up to four levels of structure. Name each of the levels:
Primary structure
Secondary structure
Tertiary structure
Quaternary structure
What is the primary sequence of a protein?
The sequence of amino acids that make up its polypeptide chain(s).
What are the elements that appear in amino acids?
Carbon Hydrogen Oxygen Nitrogen (Some also containing Sulfur).
What holds together amino acid chains?
Strong peptide bonds.
The structure of a protein determines how it works, but what determines the structure of the protein?
The order of the amino acids.
What shape is a globular protein?
a protein with a roughly spherical shape.
What type of protein are haemoglobin, insulin and many other hormones a type of?
Globular proteins.
What is the primary structure of a protein?
The order in which the amino acids are arranged in a polypeptide chain.
If one single change occurs to an amino acid in a sequence it can lead to bad consequences.
Give an example of this:
A particular change in a single amino acid for the protein, Haemoglobin, (the main oxygen carrying blood protein), causes a serious blood disorder known as Sickle-cell anaemia.
What is the secondary structure of a protein?
Folding and coiling into either an alpha-helix or a beta-pleated helix.
Is it possible to have regions of alpha-helix coiling and beta-pleated sheets in the same polypeptide chain?
Yes, they can mix and match.
In the secondary structure of a protein, what determines the shape of the helix or sheet?
Regularly spaced hydrogen bonds formed between the C=O group of one monomer and the N-H group of another.
What is the tertiary structure of a protein?
The overall 3-D shape of the polypeptide chain.
What are the two main classifications of tertiary structures for proteins?
Fibrous Proteins
Globular Proteins
Which type of protein is typically insoluble in water and physically tough?
Fibrous Proteins (condone structural proteins)
What is the main use for fibrous proteins and what makes them good at this job?
Mainly structural applications, they are good for this use as they are typically insoluble in water and physically tough.
Is silk a fibrous protein, or a globular protein?
Fibrous.
What is the main function of the structural protein silk?
It is used as threads in spiders web’s.
Describe the structure of fibrous proteins:
Parallel polypeptide chains cross-linked at intervals to form long fibres or sheets.
What specific design feature makes globular proteins soluble in water?
They have their hydrophobic groups on the inside of the molecule and the hydrophilic groups facing outwards.
Which of the four structures determines the function of the final protein?
The tertiary stage: the precise structure of the 3-D shape determines the specific function.
What process occurs if the bonds holding the protein in shape are broken?
Denaturation
During denaturation, what happens to the primary structure of the protein?
The primary structure is retained.
During denaturation what happens that changes the function of the protein to make it significantly less effective?
The polypeptide chains unravel and lose their specific shapes.
Is denaturation a reversible process?
Almost never
List some factors that can cause a protein to denature?
Temperature, pH, salt concentrations