Learning objectives
Proteins
• Describe the role of
proteins in living things
• Recall where proteins
are synthesised in the
cell
• Provide examples of
the different types of
proteins in the body
and their functions
Proteins
• Large compounds
comprised of subunits called amino
acids
• Also referred to as
a polypeptide chain
• Made up of C, H, O
and N
Role of proteins in the body
• Growth and repair
• At least 10,000 different proteins make you who you are (Harvard
University, 2022)
• Nine amino acids—histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine,
phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine—known as
the essential amino acids, must come from food.
• Your RDI (in grams) = 0.8 x body weight (in kilograms)
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/
• Digestive enzymes
• Transport
• Structural
• Hormones
• Defence
• Contractile
• Storage
Protein synthesis in the ribosome