Proteins Flashcards
Name 7 types of Amino Acid
- Aliphatic
- Aromatic
- Uncharged Polar
- Other (Proline)
- Sulphur containing
- Acidic
- Basic
Explain an Aliphatic Amino Acid
R group is made up of straight or branched carbon chains
Explain an aromatic Amino Acid
R group contains Phenyl (benzene) groups
Explain an uncharged Polar Amino Acid
R group is uncharged but polar so has a localised charge making them capable of hydrogen bonding and hydrophilic
Explain Acidic Amino Acids
Contains COOH groups which can lose protons making them acidic
Explain Basic Amino Acids
Contain Nitrogen groups that resemble ammonia and can accept protons making them basic
Define Primary Protein Structure
The sequence of amino acid residues in a linear polypeptide chain
Define Secondary Protein Structure
The spatial arrangement of amino acid residues close to eachother in the linear polypeptide chain.
Name two structures created by arrangement of the secondary structure
The Alpha Helix and Beta Pleated sheets
What links amino acid residues in the secondary structure?
Hyrdogen Bonds
Define Tertiary Structure
The spatial arrangement of amino acid residues far apart in the linear polypeptide chain.
What forces hold the tertiary structure in place?
- Numerous, weak van der waals forces
- Hydrogen Bonds
- Rare but strong ionic interaction between oppositely charged ions
- Disulphide bridges, covalent bonds between sulphur ions in two cysteine residues
- Hydrophobic interactions, intra-polypeptide interactions which occur in an enviroment within proteins in which water is excluded. Cause the protein to coil up so the hydrophobic residues face inward and teh hydrophilic outward.
Define Quaternary Structure
The spatial arrangement of individual polypeptide chains in a multi-subunit protein
How does denaturation affect protein stucture?
It can disrupt or break bonds in the secondary and tertiary structures, changing the shape and function of the protein. However it is not strong enough to break peptide bonds so the primary structure is unaffected.
Name 6 causes of Denaturation
Heat Acid Solvents Crosslinking reagents (formaldehyde) Chaotropic agents (Urea) Disulphide bond reducers.