Question

Describe the differences in the four protein structures.

Short answer

The proteins exist in four different structural forms- primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary and quaternary structure.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction

Proteins are the polymers of amino acids, linked together by the peptide bonds. When this results in the formation of a linear polypeptide chain then it is called the primary structure of a protein. The sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain is determined by the sequence of codons present in the mRNA.

Explanation

The primary structure of the protein is the sequence of amino acids joined by peptide bonds in a linear fashion. When these polypeptide chains fold into helix or sheets then it is called the secondary structure of proteins. When the proteins fold into the three-dimensional structure due to side-chain interactions then it is called the tertiary structure of proteins. And when the protein is made up of many polypeptide chains or subunits, then it forms the quaternary structure.