What Are Proteins? Amino Acids, Peptide Bonds

What Are Proteins?

Amino Acids, Peptide Bonds & Levels of Protein Structure

Organic molecules are large chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen bonds and are found in living things. The major classes of organic molecules are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and

nucleic acids.

Article Summary: Learn about the chemical bonds and different levels of structure that take amino acid monomers to a whole other level, a complex protein polymer.

What Are Proteins? Amino Acids & Peptide Bonds

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…all attached to same carbon atom (the α–carbon or alpha carbon). A fourth bond attaches α-carbon to a side group that varies among different amino acids. These side groups are important, as they affect the way a protein’s amino acids interact with one another, and how a protein interacts with other molecules.

Although there are hundreds of different amino acids, most organisms use only 21 to build proteins.

Page last updated: 9/2013

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