Preview

Why Are Proteins Important?

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
280 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Are Proteins Important?
Why are proteins important?

Proteins can easily be addressed as one of the most important molecules in animal cells. There are many varieties of protein molecules which allow a vast range of biological activities in the cell.( Williams, G.(2000))’Proteins are big compound with large molecular masses’’(Williams, G.(2000)) whose main chemical constituents are hydrogen, carbon ,oxygen and nitrogen.

A protein structure consists of a specific sequence of amino acids called the primary structure, this particular sequence determines the secondary structure of the protein which can be α-helix or β-pleated sheet. This then further folds to form the tertiary structure . The primary structure determines the eventual shape of the protein and thus its function

‘’Different proteins can appear very different and perform diverse functions’’ (S-COOL. Biology A-level: Biological Molecules and Enzymes-URL: http://www.s-cool.co.uk/alevel/biology/biological-molecules-and-enzymes/carbohydrates.html (accessed 11/11/2010)). Some of the diverse range of functions provided by proteins are transport , for example haemoglobin, which allows oxygen to be transferred throughout the body. Defence, primarily by immunoglobulin, i.e. antibodies. Structure, such as collagen and elastin that form tissue. For hormones e.g. insulin and glucagon are important for controlling blood sugar. All enzymes are proteins, enzymes control most of the reactions found in living organisms, they also transfer substrate molecules. They have a specific shape due to a specific primary structure. They are therefore specific in the reactions that they catalyse. They have an active site which is a unique shape so any one type of substrate will fit in it. (S-COOL. Biology A-level: Biological Molecules and Enzymes- [online]

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    2) Proteins are polypeptide chains consisting of monomers called amino acids, which are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Amino acids are made up of an amino group, an R group a carboxyl group and an alpha carbon, the different R groups of each individual amino acids determines which amino acid they will form.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Agr 3303 Exam 2

    • 2117 Words
    • 9 Pages

    1. The primary structure of a protein represents: (*) the amino acid sequence. (2) the functional configuration. (3) the subunits of a protein. (4) a pleated sheet. (5) a alpha helix. 2. In prokaryotes, most genes are organized into operons. One component of an operon is the structural genes. Which of the following best describes a structural gene? (*) a sequence of DNA that specifies a polypeptide. (2) a sequence of DNA that produces tRNA's. (3) a sequence of DNA that interacts with the small ribosomal subunit. (4) a sequence of DNA that is recognized by RNA polymerase. (5) a sequence of DNA that is involved in forming the structure of a double helix molecule. 3. Identify the correct sequence of steps in protein synthesis in prokaryotes: A - binding of large ribosomal subunit to initiation complex B - peptide bond formation C - binding of mRNA to small subunit of ribosome D - binding of charged tRNA to A site E - release of fmet-tRNA and translocation (1) B, C, A, D, E (2) B, E, C, A, D (3) C, E, B, A, D (*) C, A, D, B, E (5) C, D,…

    • 2117 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    GRT task 2

    • 983 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The tertiary structure is the last shape formation that a protein undergoes and is determined by the various interactions that occur involving the variable R-group of each amino acid. This complex three-dimensional structure is stabilized by four forces: hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic bonding, ionic/hydrophilic bonding and disulfide bonding (Borges, 2014).…

    • 983 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ap Biology Frq

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A). The chemical composition and structure of proteins seems quite confusing at first but one it is broken down into levels it is much more understandable. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins and they contain amino, carboxyl and R groups. These R groups that are in the amino acids are what determine the properties of the specific amino acids. For structure, there are 4 levels. The first one being the primary level. These are made up of sequences of amino acids and these amino acids are linked together by peptide bonds. The next level is called secondary. This level is a formation of amino acid chains folded together by a helix formation or a pleated sheet. The bonds between…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    NST Exam 2 Study Guide

    • 3407 Words
    • 14 Pages

    General protein structure and chemical bonds: Contains hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. Comprised of amino acids, a nitrogen (amino) group, a carboxyl (acid) group, a hydrogen, and a side chain (R) which determines protein function and name…

    • 3407 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Enzymes are protein, they are used to catalyse metabolisms in all organisms. They break down complex molecules and build up complex molecules from simple molecules, these two processes are catabolic reaction and anabolic reaction respectively. Enzymes are needed in these two processes to catalyse releasing and taking up ATP molecules.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    etched

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Q: Describe the appearance and arrangement of amino
acids in a-helix and b-pleated sheet regions of polypeptides. What type of intermolecular forces are involved in maintaining protein secondary structure?…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Enzymes are biological molecules, or proteins, that act as catalysts. Enzymes help complex reactions so that they may occur everywhere in life. For example, when you eat meat, the proteases work to help break down the peptide bonds that occur among the amino acids. Enzymes usually work to complete one specific job which makes them specific catalysts. They also won’t be found all over the body, enzymes are found in neural cells, intestinal cells, and saliva. Enzymes are among the many organic macromolecules, they specifically belong to the proteins. Proteins are made of amino acids which link together to be folded into a three-dimensional figure. Enzymes are a different type of proteins because they make chemical reactions happen faster without…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    AP I exam study guide

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Know the four levels of structure of a protein and be able to describe them.…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Amino Acids Research Paper

    • 1177 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Amino acids are biologically organic compounds containing amine and carboxylic acid functional groups, usually along with a side-chain specific to each amino acid. The elements that are key of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. There are about 500 different kinds of amino acids found but we recognize 23 of the amino acids that are known, they are classified into three groups, essential semi-essential, and non-essential. Each amino acid has unique characteristics arising from the size, shape, solubility, and ionization properties of its R group. In the form of proteins, amino acids comprise the second-largest component of human muscles, cells and other tissues, water being first. Outside proteins, amino…

    • 1177 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Enzyme Lab Write Up

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Enzymes are proteins that are involved in all the chemical processes in living things. As they are made of proteins they are affected by pH and temperature. Enzymes are catalysts; they speed up chemical reactions without being changed themselves. Digestive enzymes speed up the breakdown of large food molecules into smaller ones so that the blood can absorb them. Enzymes turn a large starch molecule into thousands of tiny glucose molecules. Enzymes end in 'ase'. There are thousands of enzymes in our body but each enzyme is only specialised to do one thing, for example carbohydraise enzymes digest carbohydrates, protease enzymes digest protein.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Proteins are complex molecules that each has a very unique shape, structure and function. The shape of the proteins is held up by a chain of subunits called amino acids that are connected by peptide bonds. Protein structures are formed by four levels of folding. The primary structure is the linear sequence of amino acids. The secondary structure describes the folding of alpha helixes and beta pleated sheets. The tertiary structure represents the overall shape of the protein and the quaternary structure only occurs in a protein consisting of more than one amino acid chain. When the shape, the structure or the function of proteins is incorrect, it is likely because of some type of change in the sequence of the amino acids or whether a certain amino acid required is present.…

    • 581 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Christian Nordqvisit Essay

    • 1685 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Christian Nordqvisit does a good job of explaining proteins by comparing them to machines, machines that make all living things. Proteins are the building blocks of life they make up what we are, how we function, how we fight off a cold, they are a part of every function throughout our bodies. Proteins are constructed from a set of 20 amino acids, each amino acid has a common core structure and a side chain. The core is made up of 3 different components a hydrogen atom, an amino functional group, and a carboxyl functional group. The core is the same in all 20 amino acids, but the side chain makes each amino acid different. There are four different types of side chains acidic, basic, uncharged polar, and nonpolar. These different amino acids link together…

    • 1685 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The structure involves the folding and coiling of the polypeptide chain to give protein its 3-dimensional shape. Protein has two types of secondary structure; the alpha (α) helix and the beta (β) pleated sheet, refer to figure 3. The α helix is coiled and held together by a hydrogen bond in the polypeptide chain, whereas the beta sheet has pleated sheets of the "polypeptide chain lying side by side and connected by hydrogen bonds"(Campell,Biology,pp82 )…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    placement log2014

    • 649 Words
    • 2 Pages

    My first day of placement was something of a disaster; nothing went right on the first day and it made me go into a negative state of mind which meant that everything that day didn’t go right and I didn’t feel that I enjoyed it. First of all I was an hour late for placement as I was unable to find it; this made me feel negative about the placement and meant that I was not going to enjoy the placement. Once I had arrived at placement, the staff didn’t even know I was coming and I had no induction, health and safety regulation check or anything which was making me think they were a bit unorganized. Once I had gotten to know the children, there was one child that had threatened me because I didn’t buy an ice cream…the staff had witnessed this incident but had just laughed it off which again, put me in a negative state of mind which made me feel annoyed because they weren’t willing to do anything after I had been threatened, afterwards I just brushed it off and forgot about it but I was still in a bit of dis-belief that a child would actually do something like that. When we walked to the park, the children had a buddy system in which they held hands with each other, some of the children held hands with staff but there were too many children and not enough staff so I felt that this was unsafe for the children and that something needed to be done about it. I don’t feel that I could approach the manager because it would feel awkward and feel like I am telling them how to do their job. But I could ask questions. The threat wasn’t a realistic threat but it still moved me that she did threaten me. I would have liked the staff to have told her not do to that and that it wasn’t very nice.…

    • 649 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics