Page 21 - The Miracle of Protein

ADNAN OKTAR (HARUN YAHYA) 19

even bolts and screws. In short, proteins provide the building
materials of cells and also their very complicated machinery.
That's why proteins, which assume such very different func-
tions, are often referred to as the building blocks of life.
For example, one protein is keratin, the substance that
forms the hard structure in hair, nails and feathers. Other pro-

teins form a strong, nylon-like substance in the tendons that
bind the bones to the muscles. Yet another protein, collagen,
gives the skin its smooth elasticity and the bones their strength.
Still another protein constitutes the elastic rubber-like tissue
that surrounds the arteries. When light falls on the eye's retina,
the protein rhodopsin initiates the process of vision. Other pro-
teins make up the eye's transparent lens. Special gates and trans-
port proteins serve to help molecules enter and leave the cells.

Without proteins, the DNA molecule—which encodes the data
for all life—cannot be copied or preserve its information. In
other words, proteins perform various tasks both within the
structures of cells, the smallest life unit, and also in innumerable
functions throughout the bodies of living things. Certain other
proteins act as catalysts to speed up intracellular chemical reac-
tions by up to billions of times. By working as a chemical team,

they construct all the structural components of the cell. In addi-
tion to their construction abilities, they also break down large
molecules in the cells into simpler compounds that the cells are
able to utilize. They permit the reactions to occur that provide
the cells with energy. Also, special proteins in the muscle cells
are necessary for the muscles to contract.
The listing above represents just a few of the thousands of
varieties of protein. Even as you read these lines, every variety

of protein in your body continues to work ceaselessly for you to
enjoy a healthy life. Many needs, from your ability to read this
book to being able to digest, and from the development of your