Proteins are long-chain molecules built from small units known as amino acids.

They are joined

together with peptide bonds.
They are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides folded into a round
or fibrous shape.[1]
A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids. The sequence of amino acids in a
polypeptide comes from the DNA sequence of a gene.[2] The genetic code specifies 20 standard
amino acids. Shortly after synthesis, some amino acids are chemically modified. This alters the
folding, stability, activity, and function of the protein. Sometimes proteins have non-peptide
groups attached, as cofactors.
Proteins are essential to all cells. Like other
biological macromolecules (polysaccharides and nucleic acids), proteins take part in virtually
every process in cells:

1. Many proteins are enzymes that catalyze (help to happen) biochemical reactions and are
vital to metabolism.
2. Other proteins have structural or mechanical functions, such as in muscle and in cells.
The cytoskeleton is a system of scaffolding that keeps cell shape.
3. Other proteins are important in cell signalling, immune responses, and cell division.

Contents

 1Proteins for human beings

o 1.1Damaging mutations
o 1.2Essential amino acids
 2Related pages
 3References
 4Other websites

Proteins for human beings[change | change source]

Egg whites contain a lot of protein

Proteins have different functions depending on their shape. They can be found
in meat or muscle. They are used for growth and repair, as well as for strengthening the bones.
They help to make tissue and cells. They are in animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and also in
the human body.
Muscles contain a lot of protein. When protein is digested, it is broken down into amino acids.
These amino acids can then be used to build new protein. Proteins form an important part in
foods like milk, eggs, meat, fish, beans, spinach, and nuts. There are four factors that determine
what a protein will do. The first is the order of the amino acids. There are 20 different types of
amino acids. The second is the little twists in the chain. The third is how the entire structure is
folded up. The fourth is whether it is made up of different sub-units. Haemoglobin molecules, for
example, are made of four sub-units.
Damaging mutations[change | change source]
Most proteins are enzymes, and mutations may slow them or stop them working. 50% of
human cancers are caused by mutations in the tumour suppressor p53.[3][4] p53 is a protein which
regulates cell division.[5]

Essential amino acids[change | change source]

Proteins are necessary in an animal's diets, since animals cannot make all the amino acids they
need (they can make most of them). They must get certain amino acids from food. These are
called the essential amino acids. Through digestion, animals break down ingested protein into
free amino acids. The amino acids are then used in metabolism to make the enzymes and
structures the body needs.
There are nine essential amino acids for humans, which are obtained from food. The nine
essential amino acids
are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan,
and valine. [6] Meat contains all the essential amino acids humans need; most plants do not.
However, eating a mixture of plants, such as both wheat and peanut butter, or rice and beans,
provides all the essential amino acids needed. Soy products like tofu provide all the essential
amino acids—as does quinoa—but these are not the only way to get the protein humans need.
The scientist Jöns Jacob Berzelius gave proteins their name,[7] but many other scientists have
studied proteins.

Related pages[change | change source]

 Protein structure
 Protein folding
 Translation (genetics)

References[change | change source]

1. ↑ See protein structure for more on this topic.
2. ↑ see Translation (genetics) and RNA splicing for a fuller account.
3. ↑ Fersht, Alan 1999. Structure and mechanism in protein sequence. New York: Freeman,
p1. ISBN 0716732688
4. ↑ Sidransky D. and Hollstein M. 1996. Annual Review of Medicine 47, p285.
5. ↑ Surget S; Khoury M.P. & Bourdon J.C. 2013. Uncovering the role of p53 splice variants in
human malignancy: a clinical perspective. OncoTargets and Therapy. 7: 57–68. [1]
6. ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002222.htm
7. ↑ Hartley, Harold (1951). "Origin of the word 'protein'". Nature. 168 (244).

Other websites