INTRODUCTION TO AMINO ACIDS, PEPTIDES, AND PROTEINS
Proteins are present in every living cell. Their very name, derived from the Greek word proteios, which means "holding first place," signifies the importance of these substances. Think of the startling properties of these molecules. Spiderweb protein is many times stronger the toughest steel; hair, feathers, and hooves are all made from one related group of proteins; another protein provides the glass-clear lens material found in the eyes and needed for vision. Very small quantities (milligram amounts) of certain proteins missing from the blood can signify that a person's metabolic processes are out of control. Juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus results from a lack of the insulin protein. Dwarfism can arise when the growth hormone protein is lacking. A special "antifreeze" blood protein allows Antartic fish to survive at body temperatures below freezing (Hein, Arena, Best, & Pattison, 2011) .
This video introduces to the world of proteins, and how these proteins are synthesized. (However, protein synthesis is a separate topic, usually discussed on nucleic acids.) |