abstract
| - Source: USDA Nutrient database Spreadsheet format: Media:amino acids.ods (File:Amino acids.ods)
- Amino Acids are the building blocks of life. They come together to form proteins in a process called protein synthesis.
- Amino acids (also called segments or residues in Foldit) are the building blocks of proteins. In Foldit, there are 20 different amino acids. Each protein has a unique sequence of amino acids. This sequence is called the "primary structure" of the protein. It's common to see the sequence listed as a string of one-character lowercase amino acid codes, for example: rkeeivkriekyykehsngdqnryehvrqrieelsksngdesvevrggkhhrirvqdgdeidlqd The table below lists the amino acids and their one- and three-character abbreviations. When it comes to protein folding, one important characteristic of an amino acid is how it interacts with water. In Foldit, an amino acid is either hydrophilic, meaning it likes water, or hydrophobic, meaning it tries to avoid water. The "hydropathy index" column of the table is a more refined version of this idea. The other main characteristic of an amino acid is it's sidechain. All amino acids have the same backbone. It's the sidechain, projecting off the backbone, which makes each amino acid different. See the amino acid gallery for examples of what each amino acid looks like in Foldit.
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