level: Proteins
Questions and Answers List
level questions: Proteins
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| what are proteins | natural polymers made up of amino acid units |
| what two functional group does each amino acid have | an amino group (-NH2) carboxyl group (-COOH) |
| what are essential amino acids | amino acids that cannot be made by our bodies and must be obtained from dietary proteins |
| can amino acids be stored by the body? | no |
| how do two amino acids join | by eliminating a molecule of water between them in a condensation reaction |
| what is formed when two amino acids join | a dipeptide |
| what is the structure linking amino acid units together called | amide link / peptide link |
| what does a peptide link look like | -CONH- |
| how is a peptide link formed | when the carboxyl group of one amino acid molecule reacts with the amino group of another amino acid molecule |
| what are enzymes | proteins which act as biological catalysts |
| what happens to proteins once eaten | they are broken down by digestion to form the amino acids that make up that protein by hydrolysis |
| why is the N-H bond in amino acids and proteins significant | it allows hydrogen bonding to take place |
| what is the purpose of hydrogen bonding between protein molecules | it allows long protein strands to curl into different shapes |
| what happens when a protein is heated | some or all of the hydrogen bonds are broken, leading to a change in shape; the enzyme is denatured |