Amino acids

Proteins are long chains Amino acids (linked by peptide bonds) joined up together. The order of them determines what protein is made. At the ribosome, the order of bases (mRNA) is read and this codes for a sequence of amino acids. Three groups of bases form a word and that specifies which of the 20 amino acids goes into the protein. The shape of a protein is determined by the order of amino acids. To give proteins a specific shape, they fold up.