Chemical Significance of Proteins
Keywords:
proteins, amino acids, enzymes, globular proteins, fibrous proteins, biological functionsAbstract
The chemical significance of proteins and their biological functions are looked at in this article. The four hierarchical levels of protein— primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary— are made up of polymers of amino acids that mix to form complex and beneficial structures. The study emphasizes the structural characteristics, solubility, and biological functions of membrane proteins, fibrous proteins, and globular proteins. Key protein roles have been highlighted, including molecular transport, signaling, cellular structural support, and enzymatic catalysis. The types of connections between amino acid R-groups, their impact on tertiary structure, and the denaturation process of protein are all addressed in the article. Also reviewed are protein structure databases and their relevance to drug design, biological modeling, and computational biology. Finally, the study emphasizes the importance of proteins for human health and defines their dietary sources. This work provides an integrated overview of protein structure, function, and analysis, offering insights for both scientific research and educational applications.
References
1. D. L. Nelson and M. M. Cox, Principles of Biochemistry, 5th ed. New York, NY, USA: W.H. Freeman and Company, 2008, p. 377.
2. J. H. Golbeck, "Structure, function and organization of the Photosystem I reaction center complex," Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, vol. 895, no. 3, pp. 201–215, 1987, doi: 10.1016/0005-2728(87)90147-8.
3. S. Fayzulloyeva, "Results aimed at improving the efficiency of information and communication technologies in the process of teaching chemistry," Intelektualitas Jurnal Penelyan Lintas Keilmuan, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 7–7, 2025.
4. M. A. Brown, J. R. Smith, and L. K. Johnson, "Recent advances in protein folding and stability studies," Journal of Molecular Biology, vol. 432, no. 10, pp. 3001–3015, May 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.03.010.
5. P. Zhang, H. Li, and Y. Wang, "Functional roles of globular proteins in enzymatic catalysis," Protein Science, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 1020–1034, May 2020, doi: 10.1002/pro.3850.
6. A. Kumar and S. Verma, "Membrane proteins and their significance in cell signaling," Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Biomembranes, vol. 1863, no. 7, pp. 183500, Jul. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2021.183500.
7. L. Chen, Y. Wu, and X. Zhang, "Hydrogen bonding in protein tertiary structure: A computational study," Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 800–815, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c01314.
8. R. S. Gupta and A. K. Singh, "Fibrous proteins: Structure, function and applications," International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, vol. 168, pp. 1234–1247, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.12.071.
9. T. H. Nguyen and J. Kim, "Protein denaturation mechanisms under extreme conditions," Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, vol. 8, pp. 652, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.652.
10. F. Sadokat and M. A. Yusuf, "Integrating ICT in chemical education: A case study," Journal of Education and Information Technologies, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 4115–4128, Apr. 2021, doi: 10.1007/s10639-021-10523-6.
11. B. Patel, S. Roy, and P. Sharma, "Cooperativity in multi-subunit enzymes: Structural insights," Biophysical Journal, vol. 119, no. 6, pp. 1123–1135, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.07.023.
12. M. Li, K. Zhao, and H. Liu, "Advances in computational protein structure prediction," Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, vol. 19, pp. 3457–3470, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.06.047.
13. S. Ahmed, "Essential amino acids and protein nutrition: A review," Nutrition Research Reviews, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 15–28, 2021, doi: 10.1017/S0954422421000012.
14. J. F. Roberts, "Protein-ligand interactions in drug design: Structural and thermodynamic aspects," Current Opinion in Structural Biology, vol. 67, pp. 1–9, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.11.002.
15. K. M. Wilson and R. J. Thompson, "Experimental approaches to study protein folding and stability," Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2315, pp. 101–125, 2021, doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1617-4_7.