Proteins: The Most Versatile Macromolecule

Proteins: The Most Versatile Macromolecule

by Chris Tindle

​What even is a Protein?

​In the simplest terms a protein is going to be classified as one of the types of biological/macromolecules that is needed in our diet.

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​These proteins consist of long amino acid chains connected by peptide bonds. The process to form these bonds is similar to what we have seen in other macromolecules, however we will get to that later in the slides.

​Different Types of Proteins

Pictured to the right is a nice little example of the many types of roles proteins perform in the body. ​

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​In fact, many of these proteins work with other macromolecules in order to allow us to carry out all the "Characteristics of Life"

​The Monomer of Proteins

​Just like all macromolecules, proteins have a monomer which is unique to it.

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​The monomer for proteins is called an amino acid; pictured to the right

Multiple Choice

Review Time: What is the monomer of carbohydrates?

• Monosaccharide

• Amino Acids

• Fatty Acid Head and Fatty Acid Tails

• Oligosaccahride

Multiple Choice

Review Time: What is the monomer of lipids?

• Fatty Acid Head and Fatty Acid Tails

• Amino Acid

• Monosaccharide

• Phospholipid

Multiple Choice

What is the monomer of proteins?

• Nucleotide

• Amino Acids

• Polysaccharide

• Polypeptides

Why so many roles?

​The tagline of this is no joke, proteins are incredibly versatile and are used in almost all processes in the body in one way or another.

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​This is no doubt due to the 20+ amino acids that can be found in the wild.

​Amino Acid + Amino Acid = What?

​While amino acids are the monomers and therefore the building blocks of proteins, the story doesn't end there. Just like carbs and lipids we have dehydration reactions to thank for building up more complex amino acid chains.

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​These amino acid chains are known as polypeptide chains. This logic follows from the naming of the bonds between amino acids, which happen to be called peptide bonds.

Fill in the Blanks

What is the name of the reaction that bonds together monomers of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins?

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the bond that connects monomers of proteins?

• Glyosidic Bond

• Ester Linkage

• Peptide Bond

• Phosphodiester Bonds

​Complexity in Proteins

​Along with 20+ different amino acids to work with, there is an added level of complexity in proteins not found within other macromolecules.

​In fact, I would argue that this added level of complexity is what allows proteins their extreme versatility.

​

​In the next slide we will go over the various "Levels of Complexity" dealing with protein formation; but know that there are 4 different levels, each either their own name, for different protein formations.

​The 4 Protein Levels

• ​Proteins come in 4 specific levels that increase in complexity, these being:

• ​The Primary Structure

• ​The Secondary Structure

• ​The Tertiary Structure

• ​The Quaternary Structure

• ​In the next slides we will get into each of these in detail starting with the Primary Structure

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​Primary Protein Structure

The simplest level of protein structure is what we call ​the Primary Structure, it consists of a linked chained of different amino acids.

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​The assembly and order of which is paramount to the protein functioning in the correct way.

Multiple Select

What are the 4 levels of structure called when talking about Proteins?

Multiple Answers expected here.

• Primary Structure

• Secondary Structure

• Triune Structure

• Tertiary Structure

• Quaternary Structure

Multiple Choice

Do the order of amino acids matter in the primary structure of proteins?

• Yes

• No

• Depends

• WHERE'S THE FREAKING GABAGOO?

​Primary Proteins Expanded

​Let's expand on the idea of amino acid sequencing a bit.

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​The sequence of a protein is determined by the DNA of the gene that encodes the protein (or that encodes a portion of the protein, for multi-subunit proteins). A change in the gene's DNA sequence may lead to a change in the amino acid sequence of the protein. Even changing just one amino acid in a protein’s sequence can affect the protein’s overall structure and function.

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​Examples of diseases caused by protein mis-sequencing is: Sickle Cell Anemia, Cystic Fibrosis, and Anemia are all examples of this phenomena.

Multiple Choice

Proteins owe all of their functionality to...

• DNA

• Carbohydrates

• Lipids