Proteins Definitions Flashcards
Amino acids
the fundamental building blocks of proteins
Peptide
an unbranched chain of amino acids
Peptide bond
the covalent bond formed between the carbon atom of the carboxyl group and the nitrogen of the amine group in order to link amino acids
Oligopeptide
a peptide consisting of 2 to 20 amino acids
Polypeptide
a peptide consisting of over 20 amino acids
Dipeptide
a peptide consisting of 2 amino acids
R-group
a side chain attracted to an amino acid(or any organic molecule) that imparts unique characteristics to an amino acid
Essential amino acid
an amino acid that cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism(and hence must be obtained from the diet)
Non-essential amino acid
an amino acid that can be made from the essential amino acids
Denaturation
a structural change in a protein that results in the loss(usually permanent) of its biological properties
Carbon compound
a molecule that contains carbon atoms
Conformation
the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule that result from rotation of its atoms about single bonds
Bond rotation
rotation around a chemical bond(typically a single bond) between two bonded atoms(where one end is stationery and the other end rotates)
Amino(N) terminus
the free amine group(-NH₂) located at the start of a polypeptide chain
Carboxyl(C) terminus
the free carboxyl group(-COOH) at the end of a polypeptide chain
