A protein symbol is most commonly used in prokaryote protein names in combination with a functional protein name. The first letter of a protein symbol is capitalized for prokaryotes e.g. RecA. In rare occurrences when there is no functional protein name, the format “protein ” may be used, not ” protein”.

Proteins can be informally divided into three main classes, which correlate with typical tertiary structures: globular proteins, fibrous proteins, and membrane proteins.

There are two main categories (or sources) of proteins – animal and plant based.

Protein has many roles in your body. It helps repair and build your body’s tissues, allows metabolic reactions to take place and coordinates bodily functions. In addition to providing your body with a structural framework, proteins also maintain proper pH and fluid balance.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology The basic protein is a late gene product associated with the viral DNA within the nucleocapsid. The harnessing of this promoter allows the expression of foreign genes at earlier times than those using the very late phase promoters of the polyhedrin and p10 genes.

The common property of all proteins is that they consist of long chains of α-amino (alpha amino) acids. The general structure of α-amino acids is shown in . The α-amino acids are so called because the α-carbon atom in the molecule carries an amino group (―NH2); the α-carbon atom also carries a carboxyl group (―COOH).

The net charge on a protein is zero at the isoelectric point (pI), positive at pHs below the pI, and negative at pHs above the pI.

Although amino acids may have other formulas, those in protein invariably have the general formula RCH(NH2)COOH, where C is carbon, H is hydrogen, N is nitrogen, O is oxygen, and R is a group, varying in composition and structure, called a side chain.

DNA encodes for a string of one-dimensional amino acids that translate into three-dimensional proteins. Proteins have primary, secondary, and tertiary structures. The primary structure consists of amino acids that are linked by peptide bonds and form linear chains of polypeptides.

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The –OH from the carboxyl group of one amino acid combines with a hydrogen atom from the amino group of the other amino acid to produce water. This is called a condensation reaction – a reaction in which two molecules combine to form a single molecule with a release of water.

Proteins are organic compounds that contain the element nitrogen as well as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Proteins are the most diverse group of biologically important substances and are often considered to be the central compound necessary for life.

Synthesizing artificial versions of these proteins is a time-consuming process that requires genetically engineering microbes or other cells to produce the desired protein. Their tabletop automated flow synthesis machine can string together hundreds of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, within hours.

Synthetic protein chemistry combines the tools of solid phase peptide synthesis and chemoselective ligation reactions to enable the total synthesis of proteins. Using these techniques, proteins can be generated that are free of the biological constraints normally place on protein structure.

Solid-phase peptide synthesis alone has enabled the total chemical synthesis of some proteins. Since the pioneering work of Merrifield, proteins that contain as many as 166 amino acid residues have been synthesized in this fashion (95). Peptides and proteins of greater length can be prepared, although not routinely.

Producing proteins in a lab This DNA is the code (or instructions) that cells use to make proteins. If you could transplant DNA, you could make proteins to order! This process of transferring DNA from one cell to another is called genetic engineering. The cell containing the foreign DNA is called a recombinant cell.