Principles of BIOCHEMISTRY
4 The Three- Dimensional Structure of Proteins
O 2021 Macmillan Learning
CHAPTER 4
The Three-Dimensional Structure of Proteins
Learning goals:
Structure and properties of the peptide bond Structural hierarchy in proteins Structure and function of fibrous proteins Structure analysis of globular proteins Protein folding and denaturation
Structure of Proteins
Unlike most organic polymers, protein molecules adopt a specific three-dimensional conformation. This structure is able to fulfill a specific biological function. This structure is called the native fold
The native fold has a large number of favorable interactions within the protein. There is an entropy cost to folding the protein into one specific native fold.