amino acids, peptides, proteins
next lesson
biochemistry 1: foundations
summary
this content provides a comprehensive overview of amino acids, peptides, and proteins, highlighting their significance in the mcat exam, their basic structures, classifications, and the formation and structure of polypeptides and proteins.
- amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, with a central carbon atom linked to various functional groups, existing as l or d-isomers, but only l-amino acids are used in protein synthesis.
- amino acids can be classified into four major groups based on the characteristics of their r group: hydrophobic, polar uncharged, positively charged, and negatively charged.
- polypeptides are chains of amino acids, with peptide bonds forming through a condensation reaction. proteins are polypeptides that consist of 30 or more amino acids.
- protein structure is discussed in terms of four levels: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary, each describing different aspects of the protein's arrangement and folding.
- understanding the structure and function of amino acids, peptides, and proteins is crucial for the mcat, particularly for questions related to physiological processes and reactions.
chapters
00:02
introduction to amino acids
03:05
classification of amino acids
05:38
formation and structure of polypeptides
07:31
understanding protein structure