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Polymers and Life

Protein structure

  • 3 things to know
  • Components 01, 02 and 03

Overview

Recall questions on primary, secondary and tertiary structure, the interactions between side chains, disulfide bridges, and fibrous against globular proteins.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Which part of a residue gives tertiary interactions, where do disulfide bridges form, and how do fibrous and globular proteins differ?

Process

Does denaturing a protein change its primary structure? Explain.

Key term

Between which residues do disulfide bridges form?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is meant by the primary structure of a protein?

    Model answer

    It is the order in which the amino acid residues are joined along the polypeptide chain.

  2. 2

    Which type of bond holds the primary structure together?

    Model answer

    Covalent peptide bonds hold the residues in sequence.

  3. 3

    Name the two forms that the secondary structure of a protein can take.

    Model answer

    The α-helix and the β-pleated sheet.

  4. 4

    Which bonds hold the secondary structure in place?

    Model answer

    Hydrogen bonds between the C=O group of one peptide link and the N–H group of another, either along the same chain or between neighbouring chains.

  5. 5

    Why is the peptide backbone so good at forming hydrogen bonds?

    Model answer

    Every peptide link carries a very polar C=O and an N–H, so donors and acceptors repeat regularly all along the chain.

  6. 6

    What is meant by the tertiary structure of a protein?

    Model answer

    It is the way the whole chain, including its regions of secondary structure, folds into a specific overall three-dimensional shape.

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