BSC 2010C Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Alpha And Beta Carbon, Amine, Lysine
Document Summary
Amino acids are organic molecules that are the building blocks of proteins. They are composed of a central carbon atom, known as the alpha carbon, which is linked to an amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom, and a side chain, which is unique to each amino acid. There are 20 different amino acids that are commonly found in proteins. The side chains of these amino acids vary in size, shape, and chemical properties, which determine the specific properties and functions of the resulting protein. For example, some amino acids have hydrophobic side chains that prefer to be buried in the interior of a protein, while others have hydrophilic side chains that interact with water molecules. Amino acids are linked together by peptide bonds to form polypeptides, which are linear chains of amino acids. The sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide determines its three-dimensional structure, which in turn determines its function.
