Chapter 21: Q1CT (page 877)

What if you contracted a disease that prevents all hydrogen bonding in proteins? Could you live with such a condition?

Short Answer

Expert verified

It is not possible to live in such a situation because a hydrogen bonding is important in the secondary structure of proteins.

Step by step solution

Hydrogen bonding

Hydrogen bonding refers to the development of “hydrogen bonds.” It is a type of attractive intermolecular force and is caused by the dipole-dipole interaction between a hydrogen atom bound to an atom and another atom nearby. Both atoms are strongly electronegative.

The negative end of one molecule attracts the positive end of another and forms a weak bond. A hydrogen bond is the name for this type of bond.

The effect of hydrogen bonds when not formed in proteins

Since hydrogen bonding is important in the secondary structure of proteins, we can’t live in such a situation (alpha helices and beta sheets). Many interactions between the side chains of different amino acid combinations also involve hydrogen bonding.

If a person has an illness that hinders a hydrogen bonding in proteins, the protein's secondary structure collapses into random polypeptide chains, and the tertiary structure vanishes as well, rendering the protein worthless. Many basic processes in the body will be harmed, and as a result, the person may die.

Proteins are a vital part of a human body. The following is a list of some of the roles:

It is necessary for the upkeep of body tissues.
It is a human body's primary source of energy.
It is involved in the production of hormones that regulate vital physiological functions.
Enzymes are proteins essential for various biological processes in a human body.

As a result, without proteins, many essential activities of a human body will be disrupted, and one will perish.

The essential functions of proteins have been discovered to be linked and dependent on the secondary and tertiary structure of proteins. The degree of hydrogen bonding in protein molecules determines the secondary structure of proteins.