Proteins

Aneeqa Zafar
Department of Environmental Sciences
PROTEINS
• Protein name is derived from a Greek word “PROTOS” which means
“the first or supreme”
• Proteins are one of the main building blocks of life.
• Proteins are the basis for the major structural components of animal
and human tissues.
Why are proteins important to us:
• Proteins make about the 15% of the mass of average person.
• Enzymes act as a biological catalyst.
• Storage and transport- Hemoglobin
• Defense- Antibodies
• Hair, nail and skin: protein Keratin as main component.
Amino Acids
• The basic building blocks of proteins are Amino acids.
• These are absolutely essential for humans.
• These amino acids bond together to form a larger protein molecule.
• Amino acids are organic molecules.
• Naturally synthesize about 20 amino acids.
• It can form various different links with each other due to the versatile
nature of carbon.
• This enables the great diversity of proteins that can be found in nature.
• These are an essential nutrient in our diet because of the functions
they perform
Structure of Amino Acids
Simple Proteins
• These are spherical or oval in shape, soluble in water or other
solvents and digestible.
1) Albumin
2) Globulin
3) Prolamins
4) Globins
5) Histones
Fibrous Proteins
• These are fiber like in shape, insoluble in water and resistant to
digestion.
• Collagen: are connective tissue protein.
• Elastin: found in the elastic tissues such as tendon and arteries.
• Keratin: present in the exoskeletal structures. E.g. hair, nails.
Structures of Proteins
• To understand how a protein gets its final shape or conformation, we
need to understand the four levels of protein structure: primary,
secondary, tertiary, and quaternary.
• Primary structure
• Secondary structure
• Tertiary structure
• Quaternary structure
 • α-helix:
• It is a spiral structure resulting from hydrogen bonding between one
peptide bond and the fourth one
• β-sheets:
• Two or more polypeptides (or segments of the same peptide chain) are
linked together by hydrogen bond between H- of NH- of one chain
and carbonyl oxygen of adjacent chain (or segment).
Functions of proteins
• Proteins play an important role in many crucial biological processes and functions. They
are very versatile and have many different functions in the body, as listed below:
• Act as catalysts
• Transport other molecules
• Store other molecules
• Provide mechanical support
• Provide immune protection
• Generate movement
• Transmit nerve impulses
• Control cell growth and differentiation