Problem 1
Match the following statements about protein structure with the proper levels of organization. (i) Primary structure (ii) Secondary structure (iii) Tertiary structure (iv) Quaternary structure (a) The three-dimensional arrangement of all atoms (b) The order of amino acid residues in the polypeptide chain (c) The interaction between subunits in proteins that consist of more than one polypepticle chain (d) The hydrogen-bonded arrangement of the polypeptide backhone.
Problem 2
Define denaturation in terms of the effects of secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure.
Problem 6
Glycine is a highly conserved amino acid residue in proteins (i.e., it is found in the same position in the primary structure of related proteins). Suggest a reason why this might occur.
Problem 8
A biochemistry student characterizes the process of cooking meat as an exercise in denaturing proteins. Comment on the validity of this remark.
Problem 9
List three major differences between fibrous and globular proteins.
Problem 13
List some of the differences between the \(\alpha\) -helix and \(\beta\) -sheet forms of secondary structure.
Problem 15
Why is proline frequently encountered at the places in the myoglobin and hemoglobin molecules where the polypeptide chain turns a corner?
Problem 23
The terms configuration and conformation appear in descriptions of molecular structure. How do they differ?
Problem 24
Theoretically, a protein could assume a virtually infinite number of configurations and conformations. Suggest several features of proteins that drastically limit the actual number.
Problem 26
List two similaritics and two differences between hemoglobin and myoglobin.
