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Six facts about protein shape
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  • The secondary structure is the way that hydrogen bonds make the chain coil or pleat.

  • The two main types of secondary structure are the alpha helix and the beta-pleated sheet.

  • The tertiary structure is its overall three-dimensional shape. It is held together by weak bonds between the side-chains of the different amino acids.

  • Some proteins are fibrous e.g. collagen.

  • Some proteins are globular e.g. haemoglobin.
A chain of several amino acids (peptides). Weak bonds formed between peptide bonds due to the small charges carried on oxygen and hydrogen atoms linked together. e.g. the sulphydryl bridge formed between two cysteine amino acids.