Page 60 - The Miracle of Protein
P. 60
58 THE MIRACLE OF PROTEIN
RED MUSCLE CELLS
Fibril structure
of the myosin
protein found
in muscle cells.
The special
structure of
fibrils allows
them to contract
and relax.
The Tertiary Structure of Proteins
After assuming their forms in their secondary structures,
proteins begin to assume new shapes with the amino acids com-
ing together, drawing apart, bending, folding, and sometimes
making sudden turns; all with the help of proteins in charge of
the folding process. In this way, three-dimensional forms of the
proteins that are of great functionality emerge. This bending
and folding is enabled by the interaction between amino acids'
side chains. So how does this folding process, the result of these
mutual effects, occur?
