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Primary Structure

The order or sequence in which amino acids are joined together to form polypeptides is called the primary structure.This sequence is determined by the sequence of nucleotide bases in the DNA that codes for the protein.The primary structure determines the three dimensional shape and therefore the function of the protein.
The diagram shows a polypeptide chain as a sequence of amino acids.

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Specification: AQA Biology (7401), AS-level, 3.1.4.1 General properties of proteins. Topic: Biological Molecules.

Key terms in this lesson

nucleotide
A molecule made of a pentose sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base.
codon
A sequence of three bases on mRNA that codes for a specific amino acid or a stop signal.

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