CHEM 160 MODULE 3.

PROTEINS

RESOURCE 3: CLASSIFICATION OF PROTEINS BASED ON COMPOSITION

General Classes

Simple proteins – yield only amino acids or their derivatives when hydrolyzed

Other properties and

Subclasses Solubility Examples
functions
Albumins Soluble in water and in Coagulated by heat and Egg albumin,
dilute aqueous solution usually deficient in glycine myogen of muscle,
Precipitates from serum albumin of
solution by saturation blood, leucosin of
with ammonium sulfate wheat, lactalbumin of
milk and legumelin of
peas
Globulins Soluble in dilute salt Coagulated by heat and Ovoglobulin of egg
solutions but are insoluble generally contain glycine yolk, serum globulin of
(euglobulins) or sparingly blood, myosin of
soluble (pseudoglobulins) muscle, edestin of
in water hemp seed, phaseolin
Precipitated from of beans, legumin of
aqueous solution half peas, excelsin of brazil
saturated with nuts, arachin of peanuts
ammonium sulfate and amandin of
almonds
Glutelins Insoluble in neutral Occur only in plants Glutenin of wheat
solvents but are soluble in and oryzenin of rice
dilute solutions of acids
and bases
Scleroproteins Insoluble in most Entirely animal proteins Keratins of hair,
or ordinary solvents like and are chief constituents hoofs, horn, nails;
Albuminoids water, salt solutions, of exoskeletal structures, elastin of connective
dilute acids, alkalies and supporting and connecting tissue and ligaments;
alcohols fibrous tissues and organic collagen of bones,
materials of cartilage and cartilage and tendons;
bones fibroin and sericin of silk
Prolamins Soluble in 70-80% Generally yield much Zein of corn, hordein
alcohol (others in 50-90%) proline upon hydrolysis but of barley, gliadin of
Insoluble in water, are deficient in lysine; wheat and kafirin of
neutral solvents or Plant protein found kafir corn
absolute alcohol principally in seeds

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Conjugated proteins – composed of simple proteins combined with some non-protein substances

Subclasses Occurence Prosthetic group Example

Nucleoproteins Most abundant in both Nucleic acids Nucleohistone and
plant and animal tissues that nucleoprotamine
have a large proportion of
nuclear materials such as
yeasts, asparagus tips, thymus
and sperm
Glycoproteins Many membrane proteins Carbohydrates Immunoglobulin G
and most proteins secreted by
eukaryotic cells like
antibodies
Lipoproteins Phospholipid protein Lipids 1-Lipoprotein of
complexes (also called blood
lecithoproteins) are widely
found in animal and plants.
Materials such as milk, blood,
cell nuclei, egg yolk, cell
membrane and chloroplasts;
also found in bacterial antigen
and viruses
Phosphoproteins Phosphate groups Casein from milk
and vitellin from egg
yolk
Hemoproteins Heme (Iron Hemoglobins,
porphyrin) cytochromes, catalase,
peroxidase
Flavoproteins Flavin nucleotides Succinate
dehydrogenase
Metalloproteins Metal ions Ferritin
Iron Plastocyanin
Copper

Source:

Lecture Booklet in Biochemistry. November 2014. Biochemistry and Agricultural Chemistry Division,
Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna. pp. 8-9

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