BY 30 – Fall 2001

LECTURE 4:  Organic Chemistry: Proteins and Nucleic Acids

Study Outline

 

4.1.  Amino Acids and Peptide Bonds

a.      The basic building blocks of proteins are ____________________________, of which there are _______________________ common types.

b.     All amino acids have a central carbon atom that forms 4 covalent bonds with a(n) __________________________, _______________________________, ____________________________, and ______________________________.

c.      Of the four groups bound to carbon, it is the ___________________________ group which differs between different amino acids, and confers chemical properties to that amino acid.  For example, the simplest amino acid is glycine which has a _____________________ R group.  By contrast many amino acids have polar R groups which can be either _________________________ or __________________________.

d.     In general, amino acids with acidic R groups carry a ____________________ charge while those with basic R groups carry a _________________________ charge.

e.      Two amino acids are joined together by a _____________________ bond to form a ___________________________.  If we were to add one more amino acid, the result would be a ________________________________.

f.       Peptide bonds form between the carbon of the _______________________ group and the ___________________________ of the amino group.  This process is considered to be a ______________________________ reaction.

 

4.2.  Structural Levels of Proteins

a.      In general there are four different levels of structural organization of proteins called ____________________________, ____________________________, ____________________________, and ______________________________.

b.     The primary structure of a protein refers to the _________________________ sequence.

c.      When a polypeptide chain undergoes repeated clockwise spiral, this is an example of _______________________________ structure that is specifically referred to as a(n) __________________________ helix.  Another example is when two or more polypeptide chains form an undulating ribbon-like structure, referred to as a __________________________.  In both examples, these structures are stabilized by ___________________ bonds.

d.     The three dimensional shape of a polypeptide chain is referred to as its _____________________________ structure which results from interactions between ________________________________ and between R groups and _________________________________.

e.      Within the tertiary structure of a protein, amino acids with _______________ R groups tend to be found in the middle of the protein, while those with ________________________ R groups tend to be found on the surface.

f.       Cysteine is an amino acid that has a ___________________ atom in its R group.  As a result, two cysteines can interact to form _________________________ linkages which stabilize tertiary structure.

g.      _________________________ structure refers to the arrangement of more than one polypeptide chain.  In these structures, the chains tend to be stabilized by _________________________ bonds and ____________________ linkages.

 

4.3.  Types of Proteins and their Functions:

a.      The biological function of a protein is largely determined by its _______________________________ allowing us to distinguish between two general types of proteins called _________________________________ and _________________________________________.

b.     The class of proteins that include those which are extended, strand-like proteins is called ____________________________ proteins, also known as ___________________________ proteins based on their mechanical strength.  These proteins are usually ___________________________ in water.

c.      Examples of fibrous proteins include _____________________________, the most abundant protein in the body; _______________________ the structural protein in skin; and ______________________ and ____________________ which are found in muscle.

d.     The class of proteins which are usually spherical with tertiary, and often quaternary structure is called ____________________________ proteins, also known as _____________________________ proteins based on their role in biological processes.  These proteins are usually _______________________ in water.

e.      Examples of globular proteins include _______________________________ which take part in the immune response; _____________________________ which are signaling molecules that travel in blood; and __________________ which is found in red blood cells and binds O2.

f.       _____________________________ are a class of globular proteins that act as catalysts by reducing the __________________________ energy of chemical reactions thereby ___________________________ reaction rates.

g.      Often enzymes require the presence of a non-protein part called a ______________________________, which may be an ion or in some cases some organic molecule called a ___________________________________.  In these cases, the protein part of the enzyme is referred to as the _______________________________ while the combination of protein and cofactor is called the ______________________________________.

h.      The ____________________________ of an enzyme refers to the fact that an enzyme usually catalyzes only a single reaction.  The basis of specificity is the _________________________, which is a portion of the molecule which binds to the reactants, in this case called ____________________________.

i.       The active site of an enzyme is dependent on the tertiary structure of the protein and so can be disrupted through changes in _____________________ and/or _________________________.  When the protein unfolds as a result, the protein is said to be ______________________________.  Also enzyme activity is highest at a pH known as the _____________________________.

j.       Enzyme activity can be affected by cellular __________________________.  In some cases, enzymes are first released in __________________________ form, and later activated – an example being the _______________________ enzymes of the pancreas that are only activated once they reach the ___________________________________.

k.      Most enzyme names end in _________________________, and are grouped according to chemical reaction.  For example, ________________________ catalyze reactions that add O2; ______________________________ catalyze reactions that remove H; __________________________ catalyze hydrolysis reactions; ________________________________ catalyze reactions that add phosphate; and _______________________ catalyze reactions that split ATP.

 

4.4.  Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids

a.      The basic structural unit of nucleic acids is the ________________________.

b.     Each nucleotide consists of three parts which are a _____________________, a __________________________ and a _____________________________.

c.      The nitrogen containing bases of nucleotides come in two classes called ______________________________________, which contain 2 rings; and the ______________________________________, which contain only 1 ring. 

d.     Purines consist of _____________________ and ______________________.

e.      Pyrimidines consist of ______________________, ____________________, and ____________________________.  Of these three, _________________ is present only in DNA and _______________________ only in RNA.

f.       Each DNA molecule consists of _____________________________ chains of nucleotides coiled into a spiral known as the __________________________.  The backbone of each chain consists of repeating _______________________ and ____________________________.  The __________________________ is directed inward where it interacts with the base of the other strand via ______________________________ bonds.

g.      Base pair bonding is specific, forming what is known as ______________________________ base pairs.  In this case, adenine always pairs with _____________________________ and guanosine with __________________________________.

h.      Each DNA molecule consists of segments called _______________________, which direct the synthesis of a particular protein.

i.       DNA has the ability to create an exact copy of itself during cell division in a process called _____________________________________.

j.       RNA differs from DNA in that is has __________________________ strand; has ______________________ as its sugar instead of ___________________; and ___________________________ as a base instead of thymine.  There are _________________________ major types of RNA.

k.      ATP is the abbreviation for _______________________________________, which is an adenine-containing _______________________ nucleotide which has ____________________ additional phosphate groups added. 

l.       When ATP is broken down in a hydrolysis reaction, the products formed are ___________________________ + _____________________________ + _________________________________.

m.    ATP temporarily stores energy which when released can be transferred to such cellular activities as ________________________________________, ___________________________, and ______________________________.

n.      When the RNA nucleotide contains guanosine instead of adenine and three phosphate groups, the molecule is called _____________________________.