Answer:
Tertiary structures arise as a result of noncovalent and covalent interactions between amino acids.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tertiary structures arise as a result of noncovalent and covalent interactions between amino acids.
Noncovalent interactions play a crucial role in the formation of tertiary structures. These interactions include hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, van der Waals forces, and hydrophobic interactions. Hydrogen bonds occur when the hydrogen atom of one amino acid forms a weak bond with the electronegative atom (such as oxygen or nitrogen) of another amino acid. Electrostatic interactions involve the attraction or repulsion between charged amino acid side chains. Van der Waals forces are weak attractive forces that arise due to temporary fluctuations in electron distribution around atoms. Hydrophobic interactions occur when hydrophobic (water-repelling) amino acid side chains cluster together to minimize contact with water molecules.
Covalent interactions also contribute to the formation of tertiary structures. These interactions involve the formation of disulfide bonds between cysteine residues. Cysteine contains a sulfur atom that can form a covalent bond with another cysteine residue, resulting in the formation of a disulfide bond. Disulfide bonds are important for stabilizing protein structures, particularly in extracellular proteins that are exposed to oxidizing environments.
Overall, the combination of noncovalent and covalent interactions between amino acids leads to the folding and stabilization of proteins into their unique three-dimensional tertiary structures.