Protein: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 30, 2026

News •

Newly discovered protein helps preserve egg chromosome integrity during aging • Oct. 29, 2026, 10:22 PM ET (News-Medical)

Facts

Also Known As	macromolecular peptide
Notable Honorees	Rodney Robert Porter

Photos and Videos

Diagram showing protein synthesis: The top section illustrates ribosomes moving along messenger RNA to build a protein chain. The bottom section details transfer RNA molecules matching codons on the mRNA within a ribosome, adding amino acids to a growing polypeptide chain.

Diagram of the hemoglobin tetramer showing two alpha and two beta subunits, each in a different color, with four heme groups labeled, each containing a central iron atom for oxygen binding.

$Proteins and X-ray diffraction$

Diagram showing two horizontal tubes with rodlike macromolecules: in A, the molecules are randomly oriented, while in B, they are aligned parallel, illustrating flow birefringence.

A line graph shows the electrometric titration of glycine, plotting pH on the x-axis against the volume of acid or base added on the y-axis. Red dots mark experimental data points, with the curve showing sharp pH changes near the isoelectric point at pH 6.1 and buffer regions below pH 3 and above pH 8. Explanatory text is included on the right.

Diagram of an alpha-helix protein structure showing a chain of atoms connected by lines, with carbon atoms in black, nitrogen in green, oxygen in red, and hydrogen in blue.

A simplified diagram of the lysozyme protein from hen's egg white, showing a single blue peptide chain with numbered red dots marking amino acid residues from the N-terminal (1) to the C-terminal (129).

Space-filling model of a collagen molecule shown as a twisted helix with clustered spheres in orange, blue, and purple against a black background.

Illustration showing four stages of protein structure: a chain of spheres, a helix, a folded chain, and a complex arrangement of intertwined chains.

Why do lobsters change color when cooked?

Close-up of a medical blood bag filled with red blood, showing attached tubes and connectors against a blurred background.

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Topics

limited proteolysis Bence-Jones protein prenylated protein opsin acyl-carrier protein thaumatin muscle protein lethal toxin-neutralizing factor resilin opsonin Hormone Lipid carboxylic acid hydrocarbon heterocyclic compound organosulfur compound Nucleic acid Carbohydrate Steroid organometallic compound

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Key People

John B. Fenn

American scientist

Linus Pauling

American scientist

Emil Fischer

German chemist

Dorothy Maud Wrinch

British-American mathematician and biochemist

Richard Henderson

British biologist

Susan L. Lindquist

American molecular biologist

John M. Jumper

American computer scientist

Yoshinori Ohsumi

Japanese biologist

Günter Blobel

German-American scientist

William G. Kaelin, Jr.

American physician and medical researcher

Ada Yonath

Israeli biochemist

Venki Ramakrishnan

Indian-born physicist and molecular biologist

Arieh Warshel

American-Israeli chemist

Charles Yanofsky

American geneticist

Thomas Steitz

American biophysicist and biochemist

Tasuku Honjo

Japanese immunologist

George P. Smith

American biochemist

Michael Levitt

American-British-Israeli chemist

Martin Karplus

American-Austrian chemist

Ralph Walter Graystone Wyckoff

American chemist

3d illustration human heart. Adult Anatomy Aorta Black Blood Vessel Cardiovascular System Coronary Artery Coronary Sinus Front View Glowing Human Artery Human Heart Human Internal Organ Medical X-ray Myocardium

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Protein: Quick Facts

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