When a protein folds into a quaternary structure the outside amino acids are exposed to the aqueous (water rich)environment. These amino acid R likely have what chemical properties?O The amino acid R groups are polar and hydrophilicThe amino acid R groups are non-polar and hydrophobicO The amino acid R groups have hydrocarbon functional groupsO The amino acid R groups have unreactive functional groups

The R-group refers to the side chain of the amino acids that are part of the protein molecule…

Answered: When a protein folds into a quaternary…

Biology (MindTap Course List)

11th Edition

ISBN:9781337392938

Author:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. Berg

Publisher:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. Berg

Chapter3: The Chemistry Of Life: Organic Compounds

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 9TYU: Which of the following levels of protein structure may be affected by hydrogen bonding? (a) primary...

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When a protein folds into a quaternary structure the outside amino acids are exposed to the aqueous (water rich)
environment. These amino acid R likely have what chemical properties?
O The amino acid R groups are polar and hydrophilic
The amino acid R groups are non-polar and hydrophobic
O The amino acid R groups have hydrocarbon functional groups
O The amino acid R groups have unreactive functional groups

Expert Solution

Step 1

The R-group refers to the side chain of the amino acids that are part of the protein molecule (quaternary structure).
In the case of the quaternary structure of the protein, the amino acids that interact with the water molecules or the amino acids that are exposed to the aquatic environment should be hydrophilic in nature. The hydrophobic amino acids are mainly present centrally or in the core region of the protein to since they cannot form hydrophilic interaction with water and tend to stay away from water molecules getting clumped in the center.
The amino acids that are hydrophilic will not show the presence of hydrophobic side chains. In simple terms, the side chains will not show the presence of hydrocarbons and thus we can state that option 'C' is not the most appropriate answer.
The presence of hydrocarbon in the side chains will provide a hydrophobic nature to the amino acids and will prevent hydrophilic interactions with water molecules. Thus, option 'B' cannot be considered as the most appropriate answer.
The side group is that part of the amino acid that can interact with other groups of molecules and this is referred to as reactivity. Alkanes are mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms and interactions between them in the form of the C-C and C-H bond make them unreactive and thus they constitute the hydrophobic nature of the amino acids. On this basis, we can state that presence of unreactive groups will not allow interaction with water molecules and thus we can state that option 'D' is not the most appropriate answer.

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