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Proteins and Linguistics

Proteins

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Workhorses of the cell, performs cellular functions, catalyses biochemical reactions-

Has various applications in:

o Medicine

o Agriculture

o Industry

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Proteins are made of amino acids

o Sequence of these amino acids determine shape, and subsequently function

o In biology, somethings structure defines its function

o Amino acids are the building blocks of a protein structure, which is

categorised into four levels of organisation

- Protein structure:

o Primary structure

Linear sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain

Consists of the actual sequence of each amino acid in a line

E.g. Asp-Ala-Gly-Arg-His, etc.

o Secondary structure

Spatial arrangement of polypeptides (amino acids that are linked

together)

Forms large shapes, such as helices (-helix), and straight sheets (

pleated sheet)

Dependent on amino acid structure and side chains of elements

bound to it

o Tertiary structure

3D structure of an entire polypeptide chain

The large secondary shapes come together and take up certain

spatial areas based on size, length, shape and interactions between

molecules

Forms a subunit which may either be already functional or not

o Quaternary structure

Spatial arrangement of subunits with respect to one another

Signal Transduction-

Proteins interact with one another to create networks known as Signal Transduction

Pathways

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This is the movement of a signal from point A to point B within the cell, or outside

the cell, or between both.

- Example:

o Insulin: removes excess glucose from the blood

Has a specific structure as dictated by its sequence of amino acids

Has specific receiving protein, receptors, that interacts with it

- Understanding protein structure is important in understanding their function!

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[okay guys hindi ko gets yung this part of the report talaga super daming terms andmedyo #sabaw]

8/10/2019 Proteins and Linguistics Handout

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However domains do not function independently without its other subunits.

o Similar to how words do not make sense on their own without being stated

in a properly structured sentence.

Protein Linguistics-

Features of protein structures resemble complex languages that use conceptual

expression patterns (i.e. Chinese characters, Egyptian hieroglyphs)

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Analogy between biology and linguistics can be established:

Protein Component Linguistic Equivalent

Amino Acid Phonemes

Secondary Structure Morphemes

Protein Domain Words

Tertiary Structure Phrases/Sentences

Quaternary Structure Sentences/Paragraphs

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Proteins interacting, talking to each other is similar to communicationo Relaying external or internal stimuli to elicit reactions within the cell

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Communication between people can be generalised to most of molecular biology

o Understanding this is important in:

Bioinformatics

Usage of software tools and methods to interpret and

process huge amounts of biological data, such as:

o DNA sequences

o Morphological data and measures of variance

o Protein amino acid sequences

Allows for the understanding of protein sequencing and

eventual structure formation for:

o Easy manipulation of proteins

o Synthesis of important novel enzymes

o Faster development of effective, selective and

specific drugs

Theoretical chemistry

Provides explanations to chemical and physical observations