Some of the links on the right column connect to pictures of proteins, genes and amino acids. (A 2019 update: I hope you can read my blog from your mobile device. I tried a mobile version but the designs were too simple for my setup so I returned to the web version.) Or you can always do an internet search for the words. Don't be afraid of the terms--just read what you can and look at the pictures. I will also make links right in the entries so you can use those as you go. You can click on the pictures in the posts, such as this one of amino acids, to get a better look. I got this image from a Google search, but the page is no longer there.
The amino acids pictured here make up the proteins, which are a large part of our body (the link HERE shows one example of a protein--myoglobin). The proteins need to be in just the right shapes and sizes to do their various jobs. Though there are hundreds of amino acids, only 20 are used in varying sequences to make up the proteins. They are in specific sequence, just like the letters of this sentence are in specific sequence to give it meaning. When I give you a list with the amino acids that make up the proteins, the letter has the abbreviation for one of the amino acids (for example in the "Muscle Protein" HERE). Each one would have to be substituted into the list to show the whole protein. There are other cell machines which make the amino acids into proteins. I will talk about them in entries to come.
The amino acids pictured here make up the proteins, which are a large part of our body (the link HERE shows one example of a protein--myoglobin). The proteins need to be in just the right shapes and sizes to do their various jobs. Though there are hundreds of amino acids, only 20 are used in varying sequences to make up the proteins. They are in specific sequence, just like the letters of this sentence are in specific sequence to give it meaning. When I give you a list with the amino acids that make up the proteins, the letter has the abbreviation for one of the amino acids (for example in the "Muscle Protein" HERE). Each one would have to be substituted into the list to show the whole protein. There are other cell machines which make the amino acids into proteins. I will talk about them in entries to come.
There may be as many as 1 million variations of proteins in the human body. It is amazing to imagine the specific order of 20 amino acids can do so much!
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