What Do Proteins Do?

Protein Structure The author of this report is asked to pick a macromolecule. The author of this report has chosen proteins. Indeed, they are one of the molecules that is "essential for life." Two or more functions of the molecule will be listed. The importance of the molecule in human life will be described. There will be a description of the makeup of the macromolecule. Finally, at least two scholarly sources will be utilized.

While macromolecules are overlooked by a lot of people, they are very important and are necessary for life. Questions Answered Proteins are polymers of amino acids. Each amino acid has a basic and fundamental structure. The one thing that makes them differ is the "side chain, which is known as the R. Group. The carbon atom to which the overall amino group, the carboxyl group, and side chain (R-Group) are attached is the alpha carbon. Peptide bonds link amino acid residues within each different protein.

The sequence of covalently linked amino acids is referred to as the "primary structure" of a protein. The reaction by which two different amino acids are joined is via a peptide bond. The details on the mechanism of peptide bond formation are known as protein synthesis (RPI, 2015). A protein is what is known as a polypeptide. It is a linear polymer of many amino acids. All of those amino acids are linked via peptide bonds.

The peptide linkages, along with the carbon atoms to which the R-Groups are attached, form the protein backbone of the structure. There is also what is known as the protein secondary structure. These are segments of polypeptides that often fold locally into stable structures that include helixes and pleated sheets. An a-helix is a helix where the polypeptide backbone follows a helical path. There are 3.6 amino acid residues per turn of the helix. There are other helical structures besides the a-helix but the latter is the most common.

The a-helix bonds are stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the backbone amino and carbonyl groups (RPI, 2015). There are several major types of proteins and the tasks they do. For example, antibodies are proteins that bind to specific foreign particles such as viruses and bacteria. This helps them protect the body. Enzymes carry out almost all of the thousands of chemical reactions that take place in cells. They also assist with the formation of new molecules by reading the genetic information stored in the DNA of the molecules.

A messenger protein is more commonly referred to as a hormone. They transmit signals to help coordinate biological processes between the different cells, tissues and organs. There are the structural component proteins and these are here for the structure and support of the cells. On a larger scale, they allow the body to move and function in the real world. Finally, there are the proteins that bind and carry atoms and/or small molecules within cells and throughout the body.

As noted before, each protein is made up of amino acids and there are twenty different types of amino.