Powerful Proteins

Mobile Proteins

Proteins move many things around our bodies. For example, all our cells need oxygen to give them energy. Oxygen is transported round our bodies by a protein called haemoglobin which is present in our blood. Haemoglobin is made up of 4 chains of amino-acids (quaternary structure - see protein folding) and each of these 4 chains has a molecule containing an iron atom which binds to oxygen. Therefore, each haemoglobin can carry 4 oxygen molecules. A "reduction" reaction occurs which enables us to get energy from oxygen.

The iron in haemoglobin gives blood its red colour. Different metals give different colours and we can see that when we burn them in fireworks. Crabs and crustaceans use copper in their transport system that gives them blue blood and sea shrimps use vanadium so they have green blood. This shows that not all transport systems have evolved in the same way.

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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

Mobile Proteins

Next - Protein Control Freaks

Previous - Enzymes 2

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