Introduction
to Protein StructureIntroduction
to Protein Structure
Tertiary Structure
Tertiary structure refers to the overall three-dimensional structure of a single polypeptide chain. Regions of regular secondary structure (e.g. alpha helicies and beta sheets) "fold up" along with the "randomly" coiled regions into a compact, generally globular structure.
Tertiary structure is stabilized by noncovalent interactions and, in some cases, by covalent disulfide bonds.
Shown below is the tertiary structure of lysozyme. The default is a cartoon view with the alpha helices and the beta sheets color coded.
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Bonds: On Off H bonds
Disulfide bonds
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Structure
Key:
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Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2007 by Frank R. Gorga; Page maintained by F.R. Gorga; Last updated: 12-Mar-2007