Final answer:
Factors that affect the stability of an alpha helix include helix-promoting amino acids, hydrogen bonding, steric hindrance, and electrostatic interactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alpha helices are a type of secondary structure in proteins, and their stability is influenced by several factors:
- The presence of helix-promoting amino acids such as alanine and leucine, which have a propensity to adopt the helical conformation.
- Hydrogen bonding between the carbonyl oxygen atom of one amino acid and the amide hydrogen atom of a neighboring amino acid, which stabilizes the helix structure.
- Steric hindrance, which refers to the physical space required by side chains of amino acids. Steric clashes between bulky side chains can destabilize the helix.
- Electrostatic interactions between charged side chains can also affect helix stability. For example, like charges can repel each other and destabilize the helix structure, while opposite charges can form attractive interactions and enhance stability.