BSCI 1510L Literature and Stats Guide: Protein quaternary structure

Introduction to Biological Sciences lab, first semester

Hemoglobin model

Several polypeptides (individual molecules) may combine to form a larger protein. These polypeptides may be the same or different. The combination of polypeptides in a given protein is called quaternary structure. For example, normal adult hemoglobin is composed of a and b subunits acting in concert. Click on the link below to launch a computer model of normal adult hemoglobin:

http://www.umass.edu/molvis/tutorials/hemoglobin/heme.htm

Sickle cell hemoglobin

Persons having the genetic disease sickle cell anemia have a mutation resulting in the change of a single hydrophilic amino acid, glutamate in position 6 to valine, a hydrophobic amino acid. Click on the link below to open a model of this version of hemoglobin:

http://www.umass.edu/molvis/tutorials/hemoglobin/sickle.htm

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