Proteins

Proteins are polymer structures made from different amino acids. The number of amino acids within a sequence can vary from 20 amino acids to thousands of amino acids long.

There are 4 different structures that proteins can have:

1. Primary Structure - linear amino acid sequence
2. Secondary Structure - gives rise to an alpha helix or beta pleated sheet held together by hydrogen bonds .
3. Tertiary Structure - gives rise to a single peptide 3D structure held together by various bonds such as hydrogen bonding, disulphide bonding, salt bridges and non-polar hydrophobic interactions.
4. Quaternary Structure - describes multiple peptide chains that interact through various types of bonding to form a fully functional protein e.g. haemoglobin.