BSC 2010C Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Messenger Rna, Sickle-Cell Disease, Hemoglobin
Document Summary
Polypeptides are linear chains of amino acids that are linked together by peptide bonds. They are the building blocks of proteins, which are essential molecules in living organisms. The sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide determines its three-dimensional structure, which in turn determines its function. The amino acids that make up a polypeptide are linked together through a process called condensation, which involves the removal of a molecule of water. The resulting bond between two amino acids is called a peptide bond. This process is repeated many times to form a long chain of amino acids. The sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide is determined by the genetic code. Each amino acid is specified by a codon, which is a sequence of three nucleotides in dna. During protein synthesis, messenger rna (mrna) is transcribed from dna and carries the genetic code to ribosomes, where the polypeptide is synthesized.
