Question

Theoretically, a vast number of different proteins can be assembled from 20

different amino acids. How many polypeptide chains are possible that are 10 amino
acids long?

Answer 1

There are 2010 = 1,024,000,000,000 different polypeptide chains that can be formed from 20 different amino acids in a chain that is 10 amino acids long, demonstrating the immense diversity of potential protein structures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The number of different polypeptide chains that are 10 amino acids long can be determined by calculating 2010, as there are 20 common amino acids and each position in the chain can be occupied by any of these 20. By raising 20 to the power of the chain length (10 in this case), we can calculate the total number of unique combinations possible. The calculation yields 2010 = 1,024,000,000,000 different polypeptide chains. This illustrates the vast diversity possible in protein structures, even with a relatively short chain of amino acids.