BRAINCAKEPrimary Structure of Proteins
The primary structure of a protein is the sequence of amino acids in its polypeptide chain(s), joined by peptide links.
Proteins are made from about 20 different amino acids, and a chain can contain hundreds of them, so an enormous number of different sequences is possible. Each protein has one particular sequence, set by the genetic code in DNA.
Sequences are usually written with three-letter abbreviations, starting from the end that has the free -NH2 group, for example Gly-Ala-Ser. Gly-Ala-Ser and Ser-Ala-Gly have different primary structures and are different compounds.
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More in Amino Acids, Proteins and DNA
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- Secondary Structure of Proteins
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All 15 lessons in Amino Acids, Proteins and DNA · All AQA A-level Chemistry topics