Protein structure levels. Labelled animation showing the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures found in proteins. The atoms are colour-coded here: carbon (grey), hydrogen (white), oxygen (red), nitrogen (blue) and sulphur (yellow). The first part of the animation shows amino acids combining to produce a polypeptide chain, the primary structure of a protein. This is followed by animations of the formation of alpha helices and beta pleated sheets, with hydrogen bonds adding to the stability of the structures. These are the secondary structures of proteins. The final stage of the animation shows secondary structures forming tertiary structures, and tertiary structures forming quaternary structures. For individual animations of the structure levels, see clips K005/6273, K005/6274, K005/6278 and K005/6276. |