Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary structures of proteins explained

Primary: The primary structure of a protein is the level of protein structure which refers to the specific sequence of amino acids. The amino acid sequence of a polypeptide, together with the laws of chemistry and physics, cause a polypeptide to fold into a more compact structure. Amino acids can rotate around bonds within a protein. This is the reason proteins are flexible and can fold into a variety of shapes. Folding can be irregular or certain regions can have a repeating folding pattern. The coils and folds that result from the hydrogen bonds between the repeating segments of the polypeptide backbone are called secondary structures. As the secondary structure becomes established due to the primary structure, a polypeptide folds and refolds upon itself to assume a complex three-dimensional shape called the protein tertiary structure. Tertiary structure is the overall shape of a polypeptide. While all proteins contain primary, secondary and tertiary structures, quaternary structures are reserved for proteins composed of two or more polypeptide chains. Proteins that have quaternary structures contain more than one polypeptide and each adopt a tertiary structure and then assemble with each other via intermolecular interactions. The quaternary structure of a protein is the overall structure that is the result of the addition of these polypeptide subunits. #Genetics #DNA #RNA #proteins #aminoAcids #NikolaysGeneticsLessons #protein #polypeptide #aminoAcid #peptide #disulfideBridges #covalentBounding #ionicBounding #hydrophobicInteraction #proteinStructure #proteinSequence #proteinFolding #Polypeptides #ImidazolRing #Histidine #polypeptideChain #oligopeptide #hydrolysesSynthesis #condensationReaction #condensationSynthesis #fibrousProteins