Assignment: Protein Folding Worksheet
This worksheet is designed to prepare you for your upcoming activity on proteins and protein structure; it also reviews several basic concepts of biological chemistry. Many of your answers can be found in your textbook, but for some questions, you may need to seek help from other resources (e.g., a chemistry text or the Internet). The first part of this worksheet should be a review, so try testing your knowledge without consulting your textbook!
1. From a biologist’s perspective, what are the five main types of chemical bonds (or chemical interactions)? Please list them below, in order from strongest to weakest, and briefly describe each type of bond.
1) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Compare and contrast the following terms:
a. Polar vs. Nonpolar
b. Hydrophilic vs. Hydrophobic
c. Monomer vs. Polymer
3. Proteins are polymers made up of monomers called amino acids. How many different amino typically combine to form proteins?
4. Describe a dehydration reaction (also known as dehydration synthesis) as it would occur during the building of a protein. Indicate what type of bond is formed with each reaction.
Assignment: Protein Folding Worksheet
5. Draw a generic amino acid below. Label the following components: the carboxyl group, the amino group, the alpha carbon, the hydrogen atom, and the R group.
6. Four of the five components of the generic amino acid above (#5) are the same for every amino acid. They are collectively referred to as the “backbone.” Using your drawing above, circle the component that makes each amino acid unique.
7. Side chains (R Groups) of amino acids have different chemical properties; they can be nonpolar, polar, or electrically charged (these are also polar). Each type of side chain associates with other side chains (or water) based on these chemical properties.
a. Nonpolar side chains are most likely to interact with side chains that are:
(A) nonpolar (B) polar (C) charged, same charge (D) charged, opposite charge
In this example, what kind of bond or interaction might form? _____________________
b. Polar side chains are most likely to interact with side chains that are:
(A) nonpolar (B) polar (C) charged, same charge (D) charged, opposite charge
In this example, what kind of bond or interaction might form? _____________________
c. Charged side chains are most likely to interact with side chains that are:
(A) nonpolar (B) polar (C) charged, same charge (D) charged, opposite charge
In this example, what kind of bond or interaction might form? _____________________
8. After completing this pre-activity, what concepts do you still have questions about?
