Rubisco: Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase, An enzyme that catalyses the fixing of CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, Composed of 16 polypeptide chains as a globular protein, This is the source of all organic carbon, so Rubisco is arguably the most important enzyme in nature!, The most abundant enzyme on Earth as it's present in all leaves, A very slow catalyst, but it's the most effective to have evolved so far to fulfil this vital function, Insulin: A hormone produced and secreted by β-cells in the pancreas, Binds to receptors (on liver, fat and muscle cells) reversibly, causing absorption of glucose from the blood, Composed of 2 polypeptide chains as a short, globular protein, Rhodopsin: A pigment in the retina of the eye, A membrane protein that is expressed in rod cells, Contains a light-sensitive part, retinal, which is derived from Vitamin A, A photon of light causes a conformational change in this polypeptide, which sends a nerve impulse along the optic nerve to the central nervous system, Collagen: A fibrous protein made of three separate polypeptide chains, The most abundant protein in the human body - approximately 25%, Fibres form a network in skin, blood vessel walls and connective tissue that can resist tearing forces, Plays a role in teeth and bones, helping to reduce their brittleness, Spider Silk: The silk used by ??? to suspend themselves and create the spokes of their webs is as strong as steel wire though considerably lighter, Contains rope-like, fibrous parts but also coiled parts that stretch when under tension, helping to cause extension and resist breaking, Does not denature easily at extremes of temperature, Has many attractive aspects for engineering and textile product design thanks to its strength and low weight, Can be genetically engineered to be expressed in goats' milk as spiders can't be farmed on a large enough scale, Other kinds of this protein are tougher though lack the tensile strength, e.g. the silk they use to encase their prey after capture,

Polypeptides - IB

by
Print
Embed

Leaderboard

Visual style

Options

Switch template

Continue editing: ?