BIOL 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Alpha And Beta Carbon, Peptide Bond, Amine
Document Summary
These macromolecules that carry out virtually all of cells activities. They are molecular tools and machines that make things happen. Proteins vastly accelerate the rate of metabolic reactions. Proteins provide mechanical support, as hormones, growth factors and gene activators, membrane receptors and transporters. Proteins determine what a cell reacts to and what type of substance enters and leave the cells. Proteins constitute the machinery for biological movements. They also serve as antibodies, serve asa toxins, form blood clots, absorb or reflect light and transport substance from one part of the body to the other. The reason proteins have varied functions, the reason lies in their unlimited molecular structure. Proteins have shapes and surfaces that allow them to interact selectively with other molecules. Proteins exhibit a high degree of specificity. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids. Proteins are polymers made from amino acid, monomers.
