AMINO ACIDS AND PROTEINS

VOCABULARY
Level– a position on a scale of amount, quantity, extent, or quality.
Sequence –a particular order in which related things follow each other.
Folding –able to be bent or rearranged into a flatter or more compact shape.
Patterns –an arrangement or design regularly found in comparable objects
Bond–a connection between two surfaces or objects that have been joined together.
Endless –having or seeming to have no end or limit.
Clotting –form or cause to form clots.
Storage- the action or method of storing something.

Proteins are made up of building blocks called amino acids. There are about 20 different amino acids
that link together in different combinations. Your body uses them to make new proteins, such as muscle
and bone, and other compounds such as enzymes and hormones. It can also use them as an energy
source. 
Some amino acids can be made by your body – there are 11 of these and they’re known as non-essential
amino acids. There are nine amino acids that your body cannot make, and they are known as essential
amino acids. You need to include enough of these in your diet so that your body can function.
There are nine essential amino acids that the human body does not synthesize, so they must come from
the diet.
Proteins may be either complete or incomplete. Complete proteins are proteins that contain all essential
amino acids. Animal products, soy are complete proteins.
Incomplete proteins are proteins that do not contain all essential amino acids. Most plant foods are
incomplete proteins, including beans, nuts, and grains.
The structure of proteins can be divided into four levels of organization:
1. Primary Structure
 The primary structure of a protein consists of the amino acid sequence along the polypeptide
chain.
2. Secondary Structure
 The secondary structure involves α-helices, β-sheets, and other types of folding patterns that
occur due to a regular repeating pattern of hydrogen bond formation.
3. Tertiary Structure
 Tertiary structure of a protein refers to its overall three-dimensional conformation.
4. Quaternary Structure
  It is the spatial arrangement of subunits in a protein that consists of more than one polypeptide
chain.
Denaturation of proteins involves the destruction of the higher-level structural organization of protein
with the retention of the primary structure by denaturing agents. A denatured protein loses its native
physico-chemical and biological properties due to:
1. Physical factors: Temperature, pressure, mechanical shear force, ultrasonic vibration and ionizing
radiation causes the protein to lose its biological activity.
2. Chemical factors :Acids and alkalis, organic solvents (actone, ethanol), detergents (cleaning agents),
certain amides urea, alkaloids, and heavy metal salts (Hg, Cu, Ba, Zn,Cd…) cause the denaturation.
Functions of Proteins
Proteins are vital for the growth and repair, and their functions are endless. They also have enormous
diversity of biological function and are the most important final products of the information pathways.
 Proteins, which are composed of amino acids, serve in many roles in the body (e.g., as enzymes,
structural components, hormones, and antibodies).
 They act as structural components such as keratin of hair and nail, collagen of bone etc.
 Proteins are the molecular instruments through which genetic information is expressed.
 They execute their activities in the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide by hemoglobin and
special enzymes in the red cells.
 They function in the homeostatic control of the volume of the circulating blood and that of the
interstitial fluids through the plasma proteins.
 They are involved in blood clotting through thrombin, fibrinogen and other protein factors.
 They act as the defense against infections by means of protein antibodies.
 They perform hereditary transmission by nucleoproteins of the cell nucleus.
 Ovalbumine, glutelin etc. are storage proteins.
 Actin, myosin act as contractile protein important for muscle contraction.
Protein is present in every body cell, and an adequate protein intake is important for keeping the
muscles, bones, and tissues healthy. Protein is important for growth and development, especially during
childhood, adolescence, and pregnancy.
TEXT COMPREHENSION EXERCISES

I. Answer:

1) What is the name of the individual units that make up the chain of polypeptides?
2) What is the name of the bond between these individual units?
3) How many amino acids are our bodies unable to make?
4) Which statement best describes denaturing or hydrolysis:
5. What determines the function of a protein?
6. Complete the following table by adding the function or type of protein.
 II. True/ False:

1) Proteins provide energy to our body

2) Non-essential amino acids cannot be made by our body.
3) Complete proteins are proteins that contain all essential amino acids found in plant foods.
4) Secondary Structured proteins involve α-helix and β-sheets.
5) A denatured protein can restore its chemical property again.

III. Fill in the New Vocabulary:

1. Amino acids are joined together by a special type of covalent ………………...
2. Analysis of protein sequence and structure databases usually reveal frequent …………………..
3. Essential fat is the……………….. at which physical and physiological health would be
negatively affected.
4. Fibrin is an insoluble protein that plays a role in blood ………………….
5. For long term …………….. (more than a week), it becomes necessary to freeze the protein
preparation.
6. Many cellular proteins are intrinsically disordered and undergo ………………..
7. Meal ……………… is the consumption of protein and/or fat before carbohydrate.
8. The opportunities for the design of synthetic proteins are ………………...
IV. Find the pairs of synonyms. Make up sentences.
1) To store a) to cause
2) To fold b) consumption, ration
c) to bend, overlap
3) Adequate
d) distortion, misinterpretation
4) Intake e) sufficient, enough, reasonable
5) Denaturation f) collect, gather, accumulate

V. Quiz.
1. What is the main function of protein in the body?
 Is the main source of energy for the body
 Helps to build and repair body tissue
 Provide warmth and cushioning to the body's organs
 Helps to transport vitamins through the body
 All of the above are roles of protein in the body
2. What is another function of consuming proteins?
 Improves appetite
 Improves bone health
 Boosts metabolism
 Improves sleep
 Boosts cholesterol levels
3. What kinds of food can you get protein from in your diet?
  Eggs  Nuts and Legumes
 Meat and Fish  All of the above
4. When should you eat protein?
 Once a day  Once a month
 Throughout the day  Once a week
5. You can get protein from plant sources.
 True  False
6. Examples of plant-based proteins are:
 Eggs and Spinach  Tofu and Beans
 Corn and Seaweed  Edamame and Broccoli
7. A balanced vegetarian diet is unable to meet daily protein intake?
 True  False
8. Consuming Meat-based protein leads to higher cholesterol?
 True  False

Video Comprehension (Amino Acids and Proteins)

I. True/False
1. Amino acids are the building blocks of the proteins. T/F
2. There are a total of twenty-two amino acids that we use in life, and here's six basic amino
acids. T/F
3. A polypeptide would be a number of similar amino acids attached together in a chain. T/F
4. And so the primary structure is going to be the order of those amino acids bonded together.
5. The next thing we have are what we call the secondary structure and is called alpha helixes .
T/F
6. The tertiary are the third level of structure, that is going to be all of those R groups interacting
between each other. T/F
7. And then finally we have quaternary structure when one polypeptide comes together with
another protein T/F
8. If we heat the protein up, if we cool it, if we change the acidity, proteins will fold apart. We
call that decompose and then it does not work anymore. T/F

II. Finish the idea

1. Proteins are incredibly important because that's what we're made up of. When you look at
me you're looking at my___________________________________.
2. The amino acids in my skin, used to be part of my food. And so I literally am what-
____________________________________________________________
3. So basically every amino acid is going to have three similar parts. And so the only thing that's
going to be different is going to be ___________________________
4. Well if you're polar then you're hydrophilic. That means that
_________________________________________________________________
5. If an amino acid is going to have a negative charge. And another is going to have a positive
charge. And so these two things or these two amino acids are found in the same polypeptide
and they're going to
_________________________________________________________________