9/4 PROTEIN STRUCTURE & INFORMATION FLOW

Attendance

Attendance

The act of being present at a place, often recorded in an educational or professional setting.

Short answers

A type of exam question format where students respond in brief text rather than multiple choice.

Biomolecule

Any molecule that is produced by living organisms, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids.

Proteins

Large, complex molecules composed of amino acids that perform a variety of functions within organisms.

Serine proteases

A family of proteases that cleave peptide bonds in proteins and contain serine in their active site.

Primary structure

The sequence of amino acids in a protein, which determines its function and higher structural levels.

Transcription

The process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA.

Translation

The process of synthesizing proteins from RNA by ribosomes.

Quaternary structure

The highest level of protein structure; the arrangement of multiple polypeptide chains.

Gene expression

The process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize functional gene products, often proteins.

Mutant

An organism or cell with an altered DNA sequence that may affect its phenotype.

Cofactors

Non-protein chemical compounds that are required for a protein's biological activity.

Glycosylation

The process of adding sugars to a protein, which can affect its function and location.

Disulfide bonds

Covalent bonds formed between cysteine residues that help stabilize protein structures.

Chaperone proteins

Proteins that assist in the folding and stabilization of other proteins.

PKU

Phenylketonuria, a genetic disorder due to the deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase.

Essential amino acids

Amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from the diet.

Ribosome

A complex molecular machine within cells that assembles proteins by translating mRNA.

Amino acids

Organic compounds that serve as the building blocks of proteins.

Substrate

The substance on which an enzyme acts during a chemical reaction.

Tetramerization domain

The part of a protein that allows for the formation of a tetrameric structure from multiple polypeptide chains.

Neurons

Nerve cells that transmit signals throughout the body and are impacted by metabolic disruptions.