Cell Physiology

4. Protein Structure and Function

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Hemoglobin
Chapter 4. Protein Structure and Function

Chapter Contents

1. THE SHAPE AND STRUCTURE OF PROTEINS

2. HOW PROTEINS WORK
3. HOW PROTEINS ARE CONTROLLED
4. HOW PROTEINS ARE STUDIED
4.1 THE SHAPE AND STRUCTURE OF PROTEINS
4.1 THE SHAPE AND STRUCTURE OF PROTEINS

What level(s) of structure have been disrupted in the process above?

Tertiary
4.2 HOW PROTEINS WORK
4.2 HOW PROTEINS WORK

• A properly folded and functioning protein will often bind to other molecules.
4.2 HOW PROTEINS WORK

Pfizer and
Moderna
vaccines:
4.2 HOW PROTEINS WORK
4.3 HOW PROTEINS ARE CONTROLLED

• Covalent modifications (e.g. phosphorylation) can control the location, activity,

and interaction of proteins.
• These modifications can be added and removed by other proteins (e.g. kinase
adds phosphates, phosphatases remove phosphates)
4.3 HOW PROTEINS ARE CONTROLLED

• Feedback inhibition: an enzyme acting early in a reaction pathway is

inhibited by a molecule that is produced later in that pathway.
4.4 HOW PROTEINS ARE STUDIED
4.4 HOW PROTEINS ARE STUDIED – Identifying proteins in complex samples

• Mass spectrometry can determine the identity of proteins by first determining

the mass and searching a database.
4.4 HOW PROTEINS ARE STUDIED – Separation based on molecular properties

• Chromatography uses beads to separate materials from a complex mixture;

can take advantage of charge, size, hydrophobicity, etc.
• Electrophoresis can separate proteins onto a polymer gel based on size.
4.4 HOW PROTEINS ARE STUDIED – Determining exact molecular structure

• X-ray crystallography determines the structure of the folded proteins

through the diffraction of X-rays by protein crystals.
• Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy: determines the
structure of small proteins or protein domains by looking at the distances
between the hydrogen nuclei.
Review: Chapter 4. Protein Structure and Function

• Identify the twenty amino acids by name and grouping, and draw a peptide
bond between two general amino acid structures. 
• Describe the hierarchal structure of proteins. What types of interactions are
found at each level?
• What are the major functions of proteins? How do their structures reflect this
activity?
• How is protein activity regulated?
• How are proteins studied? What do each of these technologies do to proteins?
Review: Chapter 4. Amino acid side chains
Review: Chapter 4. A few examples of some general protein functions
Review: Chapter 4. Making and using antibodies
Review: Chapter 4. Cell breakage and initial fractionation of cell extracts
Review: Chapter 4. Protein structure determination