3-D protein structures

Protein is an essential structure in our body.Our basic information code or DNA is a structure made out of protein.They are the building blocks of body tissue, and can also serve as a fuel source.It is a polymer chain made of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.There are 20 standard amino acids such as glutamine,alanine and lysine to name a few.All 20 amino acids have different characteristics which makes them unique on their own.

The protein usually folds into 3-dimensional structures and this is called native conformation.This process is mainly done through its own chemical properties or with the aid of molecular chaperones.

There are 4 distinct structure of proteins; primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures.Lets view it one by one.

 Primary structure is basically the amino acid sequence.They are different in size and characteristics.

Secondary structure is the regulation of of repating local structures stabilized by hydrogen bonds.The most common ones are the alpha helix, beta sheet and turns.More than one regions of different secondary structure can be present in a same protein molecule due to its localized properties.

Tertiary sturcture is the overall shape of a single protein molecule and it represents the spatial relationship between two different secondary structures.This is the structure which controls the basic function of the protein.

Quaternary structure is the structure formed by several protein molecules or protein sub units which function as a single protein complex.