Proteins: The Ingenious Workhorse Molecules

Proteins are the most common macromolecules in humans. Proteins are formed from amino acid units following the template of the genetic code in the protein coding regions of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). It has protean structure and function throughout the human body.

The amino acid sequence of a protein constitutes its fundamental or (primary) structure. Proteins' secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures are determined by their basic structure, which represents non-covalent protein folds containing domains and motifs. Protein post-translational modification adds chemical groups to one or more amino acid units, diversifying protein structure and activities. These dictate protein characteristics and activities. Protein structure is studied via x-ray crystallography and magnetic resonance imaging. There are various bioinformatics websites and online databases that focus on proteins, protein domains, motifs, and folds, as well as their identification, annotation, classification, and structural alignment. This paper presents amino acid composition, structure, classification, physicochemical properties, domains and folds and motifs of proteins. It also explains the synthesis, post translational modification and other related characteristics of proteins. Research into proteins has aided the understanding of the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in humans such as cancer, neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases. It has also led to the discovery of drug targets and disease biomarkers. This overview aims to increase these readers' understanding of proteins by deconstructing some of the most common protein-related subjects and titles. It has provided both classical and contemporary knowledge on the subject. This shall be of immense benefits to early career researchers and both undergraduate and post graduate students of molecular biology, biochemistry other life sciences and even non-life science disciplines.