BIOL130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Integral Membrane Protein, Adenine, Cholesterol

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOL130
• Professor: Todd Holyoak

Document Summary

Protein are building blocks from which cells are assembled and they constitute most of the cell"s dry mass. Enzyme: promote intracellular chemical reactions by providing intricate molecule surfaces, contoured with particular bumps and crevices that can cradle or exclude specific molecules. Proteins embedded in the plasma membrane form the channels and pumps that control the passage of nutrients and other small molecules into and out of the cell. Proteins can carry out messages, or act as signal integrators that relay information from the plasma membrane to the nucleus of the cells. Protein can propel organelles through the cytoplasm, pry open double-stranded dna molecules, or act as antibodies, toxins, hormones, antifreeze molecules, elastic fibers or luminescence generators. Protein is a molecule made up of amino acids, adjacently linked by peptide bonds, and referred to as a polypeptide chain. Amino acid sequence: unique ordering of amino acids. Depending on the amino acid sequence will identify the protein molecule.