Representative Classes of Functional Proteins

Question 1

Antibodies (immunoglobulins)

Answer 1

• Highly specialized proteins that recognize, bind with, and inactivate bacteria, toxins, and some viruses
• Function in the immune response, which helps protect the body from “invading” foreign substances

Question 2

Hormones

Answer 2

• Help to regulate growth and development

* Examples include growth hormone, insulin, and nerve growth factor

Question 3

Growth hormone

Answer 3

An anabolic hormone necessary for optimal growth

Question 4

Insulin

Answer 4

Helps regulate blood sugar levels

Question 5

Nerve growth factor

Answer 5

Guides the growth of neurons in the development of the nervous system

Question 6

Transport proteins

Answer 6

• Hemoglobin transports oxygen in the blood

* Other transport proteins in the blood carry iron, cholesterol, or other substances

Question 7

Enzymes (catalysts)

Answer 7

• Essential to virtually every biochemical reaction in the body
• Increase the rates of chemical reactions by at least a millionfold
• In their absence (or destruction), biochemical reactions cease