Page 61 - The Miracle of Protein
P. 61
ADNAN OKTAR (HARUN YAHYA) 59
The illustration below shows the three-di-
mensional structure of the silk fibroins.
Proteins like silk fibers consist of chains
that lie parallel to each other and bind with
hydrogen bonds. This makes them straight
and flexible. Spiders depend on this quality
of their silk to survive.
Ala
Gly
Ala
Gly
The side chains of amino acids in proteins attract or repel
one another as a result of various forces. Five major agents play
a role in this repulsion and attraction: hydrogen bonds, disul-
phide bonds, ionic bonds, Van der Waals forces (short-lived at-
traction forces form between the positive end of one molecule
and the negative end of another. The bonds that form between
the molecules with the effect of these forces are called Van der
Waals forces) and other polar and non-polar effects of the side
chains.
By means of these bonds, some sections of amino acids
draw closer to one another. The amino acid chain can even fold
over itself. Proteins bend at the appropriate sites and angles.
