Proteins Flashcards
what is the monomer of proteins?
amino acids
what is the polymer of amino acids? what re they made from?
polypeptide
- constructed from same set of 20 amino acids
what is the structure of protein?
one or more polypeptides folded into specific 3-D structure
how many different amino acids are there?
20
what are some functions of proteins?
- speed up chemical reactions
- provide structural support
- provide transport
- are hormones
- allow for movement
- defend our bodies against foreign invaders
what do all amino acids have in common?
-have the same common structure, with differing R-groups
what do r-groups determine?
Chemical properties of the R-groups determines the unique characteristics of an amino acid
what are the components of an amino acid?
- amino group (N1 H2)
- central carbon (with a hydrogen atom attached)
- carboxyl group (C with double bonded O and single bonded hydroxyl)
- varying r-groups
which amino acids are hyrdophobic? hydrophilic?
Hydrophobic –> Nonpolar amino acids
Hydrophilic –> Polar amino acids; and charged amino acids
how are 2 amino acids linked? what kind of bond do they form? what is this kind of bond between 2 amino acids called?
by removal of water molecule
- covalent
- peptide bond
what does the backbone of a polypeptide consist of?
-amino group, carboxyl group, central carbon and hydrogen
where does the peptide bond form between amino acids?
between the hydroxyl (of the carboxyl) and an hydrogen of the amino group –> to form water molecule (tehrefor removing H and OH
how are functional proteins formed?
one or more polypeptides must fold into a specific shape
What determines a protein’s unique shape?
The amino acid sequence
-Shape determined and maintained by interactions between the different amino acids
what does a proteins structure determine? how many levels of structure do proteins have? what are they?
it’s function
- proteins have 4 levels of structure
1. primary
2. secondary
3. tertiary
4. quaternary
in the backbone of polypeptide what kind of bond is formed between the C, O, and N? what does this result?
- polar covalent bonds
- results in atoms that are unfairly sharing electrons, therefore they have partial charges –> with partial charges they can form hydrogen bonds
Primary protein structure:
- what is the shape
- how is it held together
- what kind of proteins do you find this in?
- how many polypeptides are involved
- linear sequence of amino acids
- held together by peptide bonds (covalent bonds between monomers)
- all proteins have this level of structure
- one polypeptide
Secondary protein structure:
- what is the shape/structures
- how is it held together
- what are the 2 types of secondary structures?
- how many polypeptides are involved
- coiled and/or folded into particular shapes - local folded structures that form within a polypeptide
- hydrogen bonds forming between between atoms in polypeptide backbone (not r-groups)
- Alpha-helix and beta-pleated
- one polypeptide
what is an alpha helix?
a coil held together by hydrogen bonds between backbones of amino acids (is made of only one polypeptide)
what are beta-pleated sheets?
two or more regions within a single polypeptide lying side by side, connected by hydrogen bonds between parts of the two parallel polypeptide backbones
Tertiary protein structure:
- what is the shape
- how is it held together
- how many polypeptides are involved
- overall rounded or globule shape
- held together by interactions between r-groups within single polypeptide. can have many different types of interactions occurring at once
- single polypeptide which is all folded up
what are 4 types of interactions that may be occurring between r-groups and which kinds of amino acids are involved?
- hydrophobic interactions –> non-polar amino acids
- hydrogen bonds –> polar amino acids
- ionic bonds –> charged amino acids
- covalent bonds (disulfide bridges) –> between sulfhydryl groups
Quaternary protein structure:
- how is it held together
- what kind of proteins do you find this in?
- how many polypeptides are involved
- held together by interactions between r-groups of different polypeptides
- Only proteins made up of multiple sub units have this level of structure
- 2 or more polypeptide chains interacting with one another
what are fibrous proteins? what is often their function? give an example
- polypeptide chains that are arranged in long strands or sheets
- often for structural purposes
- eg. collagen - has primary, secondary and quaternary levels of structure