Powerful Proteins

Protein Building Blocks

The building blocks of proteins are called amino-acids. There are 20 different amino-acids.

Amino-acids can be split into 2 different groups: essential and non-essential. Non-essential amino acids are amino acids that your body can create out of other chemicals found in your body. Essential amino acids cannot be created, and therefore the only way to get them is through eating the right foods.

When we eat proteins, our digestive system breaks them down into their amino acids so that they are small enough to enter the bloodstream. Cells then use the amino acids as building blocks to build the proteins that we need to do all the different jobs inside our bodies.

Essential Amino Acids		Non-Essential Amino Acids
ISOLEUCINE LEUCINE LYSINE METHIONINE PHENYLALANINE THREONINE TRYPTOPHAN VALINE		ALANINE ARGININE ASPARAGINE ASPARTIC ACID CYSTEINE GLUTAMIC ACID GLUTAMINE GLYCINE HISTIDINE PROLINE SERINE TYROSINE

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What are proteins? - Protein Building Blocks - Joining the Blocks - Polymers - Slimy polymers - Protein Folding - How to destroy a protein - Enzymes 1 - Enzymes 2 - Mobile Proteins - Protein Control Freaks - Proteins for Building - Making Proteins - Mutants - Protein Research

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Powerful Proteins

Protein Building Blocks

Next - Joining the Blocks

Previous - What are proteins?

Back to the Topics List

What are proteins? - Protein Building Blocks - Joining the Blocks - Polymers - Slimy polymers - Protein Folding - How to destroy a protein - Enzymes 1 - Enzymes 2 - Mobile Proteins - Protein Control Freaks - Proteins for Building - Making Proteins - Mutants - Protein Research