Question

How will the extent of van der Waals interactions be affected in the hydrophobic region IV in Figure 2 if a protein variant is made that replaces valine with alanine in this region?

Answer 1

The extent of van der Waals interactions in the hydrophobic region IV in Figure 2 would be affected if a protein variant replaces valine with alanine. Valine has a larger side chain compared to alanine, allowing for stronger van der Waals interactions. Replacing valine with alanine would result in a weaker extent of van der Waals interactions due to the smaller side chain.

Step-by-step explanation:

The extent of van der Waals interactions in the hydrophobic region IV in Figure 2 would be affected if a protein variant replaces valine with alanine.

Valine and alanine both have aliphatic hydrophobic side chains, which establish hydrophobic interactions. However, valine has a larger side chain compared to alanine. The larger size of valine allows for stronger van der Waals interactions with neighboring amino acids in the hydrophobic region.

Replacing valine with alanine in the hydrophobic region would result in a weaker extent of van der Waals interactions. This is because the smaller side chain of alanine would have weaker van der Waals forces with neighboring amino acids.