What
is a protein?
A protein is a string of amino acid residues, often called a polypeptide chain. These chains of amino acids can often adopt very different structures. In order for a protein to function correctly in the body, it usually adopts a regular folded structure or conformation. The type of structure that the chain adopts depends in part on the function of the protein, the amino acid composition and the placement of the amino acids in the string. In fact, the forces that cause a protein to adopt a particular conformation are not completely understood and this is an active area of research referred to as ‘protein folding.’ (link to going deeper page)