Protein | Definition, Structure, & Classification | Britannica
WEBSep 23, 2024 · Proteins are highly complex substances present in all living organisms that are of great nutritional value and that are directly involved in the chemical processes essential for life.
Protein - Amino Acids, Structure, Function | Britannica
WEBSep 23, 2024 · Most proteins contain only small amounts of methionine. Proteins also contain an amino acid with five carbon atoms (glutamic acid) and a secondary amine (in proline), which is a structure with the amino group (―NH 2) …
Protein - Structure, Function, Amino Acids | Britannica
WEBSep 23, 2024 · Protein - Structure, Function, Amino Acids: Despite its weaknesses, a functional classification is used here in order to demonstrate, whenever possible, the correlation between the structure and function of a protein.
Protein structure and its function | Britannica - Encyclopedia …
WEBAn active protein molecule has three important levels of structure: primary (the amino acid sequence), determined by the genes; secondary (the geometric shape, often a helix), determined by the angles of the covalent bonds between and within amino acids; and tertiary (the looped and folded overall shape), determined largely by attraction ...
Protein - Structure, Folding, Conformation | Britannica
WEBSep 23, 2024 · Protein - Structure, Folding, Conformation: In the technique of X-ray diffraction, the X-rays are allowed to strike a protein crystal. The X-rays, diffracted (bent) by the crystal, impinge on a photographic plate, forming a pattern of spots.
Denaturation | Definition, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
WEBDenaturation, in biology, process modifying the molecular structure of a protein. Denaturation involves the breaking of many of the weak linkages, or bonds (e.g., hydrogen bonds), within a protein molecule that are responsible for the highly ordered structure of the protein in its natural state.
Amino acid | Definition, Structure, & Facts | Britannica
WEBSep 9, 2024 · The amino acids differ from each other in the particular chemical structure of the R group. Building blocks of proteins. Proteins are of primary importance to the continuing functioning of life on Earth. Proteins catalyze the vast majority of chemical reactions that occur in the cell. They provide many of …
Protein - Enzymes, Structure, Function | Britannica
WEBSep 23, 2024 · Protein - Enzymes, Structure, Function: Practically all of the numerous and complex biochemical reactions that take place in animals, plants, and microorganisms are regulated by enzymes. These catalytic proteins are efficient and specific—that is, they accelerate the rate of one kind of chemical reaction of one type of compound, and they do ...
Protein - Denaturation, Structure, Function | Britannica
WEBSep 23, 2024 · Protein - Denaturation, Structure, Function: When a solution of a protein is boiled, the protein frequently becomes insoluble—i.e., it is denatured—and remains insoluble even when the solution is cooled.
DNA | Definition, Discovery, Function, Bases, Facts, & Structure ...
WEB3 days ago · DNA, organic chemical of complex molecular structure that is found in all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and in many viruses. DNA codes genetic information for the transmission of inherited traits.