Final answer:
A protein with 438 amino acids has 437 peptide bonds, as each amino acid within the chain is linked by a peptide bond and there is one less bond than the number of amino acids.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a protein, the peptide bonds connect amino acids together in a chain. Each amino acid is linked to the next by one peptide bond.
Therefore, if a protein has 438 amino acids, it should have 437 peptide bonds since there is one less peptide bond than the number of amino acids.
This is because the first amino acid in the chain does not have a peptide bond at its N-terminus, and the last amino acid does not have a peptide bond at its C-terminus.
Considering this understanding of protein structure, the answer to how many peptide bonds are present in a protein containing 438 amino acids is 437 (Option b).