Question

What process would you use to disrupt the primary level of organization of a protein? [Select all that apply]

A. Hydrolysis

B. Denaturation

C. Hydrogenation

D. Acidification

E. Enzymatic digestion (Protease)

Answer 1

Protein structure usually has three levels of the organization and they are primary structure this is a linear chain of peptide made up of many amino acids. The secondary structure where local weak interactions such as hydrogen bonding between amino acids in peptides help organize the chain locally. The tertiary structure where amino acid side chains interact with each other and organize to form a 3D structure, they involve electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic interactions.

As the primary structure is made up of covalent linkages such as peptide bonds and disulfide bonds. We need reactions like hydrolysis to break them.

Enzymatic digestion breaks the peptide bonds in the protein and is another way to disrupt the primary level organization of proteins.

Hydrogenation (reduction) can break disulfide bonds present in the primary structure of the protein to form free thiols, so this can affect the primary structure of a protein.  

Denaturation only affects the secondary and tertiary structures of protein and the primary structure stays intact.

Acidification also only affects the electrostatic interactions of side chains of the peptide and affects secondary structures but does not affect the primary structure of a protein.

So the processes that disrupt the primary structure of a protein are:

A. Hydrolysis,

C. Hydrogenation.

E. Enzymatic digestion (proteases)