What are main functions of proteins in living things?
347461
Proteins' main fuctions are to serve as biological catalysts in living things. That means that they allow biological processes to occur faster and more efficeintly. Also proteins are used to regulate biological functions. They serve other functions also such as chemical messengers, building blocks, and transporters. Because DNA, the code of life, encode ultimately for proteins, the proteins are central to almost every biological process from respiration to reproduction. The easier question to ask is what proteins don't do.
151434
Biopolymers are just naturally occuring polymers.  A polymer is any molecule where small units link together to make a chain of subunits.  Examples in industry are plastics, but in biology, polymers are seen in peptide chains (used for builiding proteins), DNA (which controls the form and function of an organism by encoded the information that is needed to assemple petide chains to make proteins), charbohydrates (chains of sugars that can serve to store energy or serve structural purposes, like glycoprotein recognition molecules that are on the outsides of cells), and lipids (fatty acid chains that also store energy or serve to make structures, like cell membranes).\n\nAdditionally, proteins of a similar type like actin can polymerize, to create a super-protein that have important functions in cell structure and motility.\n\nThe components of these are nucleotides for DNA, amino acids for peptide chains/proteins, sugars for carbohydrates, and CH2 units for lipids (so-called saturated fats are chains of carbon atoms with two hydrogens bonded to each carbon atom).
304478
Proteins are composed of one or more polypeptides and polypeptides are a sequence of amino acids. every polypeptide is coded by a particular gene. during polypeptide synthesis, dna unwinds and one strand acts as a template (which is possible because of the complementary base pairs). spare bases are used to form  messenger RNA (mRNA) using the template. the mRNA moves out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm towards the ribosomes. at the ribosomes, the polypeptide is actually synthesised. tRNA consists of an anticodon (sequence of three bases) and an amino acid. It matches its anticodon to the appropriate codon (sequence of three bases) to the mRNA. this continues with different tRNA molecules until a sequence of amino acids are formed- thus creating a polypeptide. \n\nSo, since proteins consists of polypeptides which are formed by the information in genes, in essence, a protein's structure and function is determined heavily by the gene that synthesises it.
266654
Picture a string of beads- the beads are different sizes and shapes. \n\nNow, "proteins" are basically like a string of beads that could be a very long string or a short string. AND instead of beads, there are amino acids- with different shapes and sizes. \n\nBut these strings don't lie flat. Depending upon the amino acids and other factors, the protein strings bend and fold in certain ways. So the string may become more like a ball or other strange shapes; this affects the way the protein works and interacts with other protein or chemicals. \n\nHope that mental picture helps answer your question...
1088386
enzyme catalysis, defense, transport, support, motion, regulation, and storage.
1123201
Cells are the basic building blocks of life. Their main goal is to maintain homeostasis, the way this is done is by using organic and inorganic molecules. Organic molecules are compounds containing carbons, whereas inorganic molecules are compounds that don't have carbon.  \n\nOne of the cells' main function is to make energy. The way it makes energy is via the Kreb Cycle, where it uses  organic molecules such as glucose, and breaks it down into energy ATP  another organic molecule. \n\nAnother function is Reproduction/Replication...cells use RNA (organic molecule) to make DNA (organic molecule).\n\nIf you look at cells on a larger scale, such as tissues...  note that there are four types of tissues: nervous tissues, connective tissue, muscle tissue, and  epidermal tissue.... if you look at the nervous tissue in order for a signal to be transmitted from the brain to the muscle,  neurons have to be able to send the message from the brain to the muscle using action potentials, which use inorganic molecules such as sodium and potassium, in the ion channels in a voltage sensitive gate.  Due to diffusion and osmosis, the ion gates open and close based on concentration levels of sodium and potassium and also based on the action potential. \n\nNote: that you question is very broad and requires not only the knowledge of basic biology but systemic physiology as well. If you want more answers or something you may email me.
566418
they are a protein that speed up chemical reactions.
857859
mostly phospholipids (the bulk of the membrane is the phospholipid bilayer, with hydrophobic tails pointed towards each other and hydrophilic heads pointing out), with a bunch of proteins stuck in it like little potatoes :) \n\nmixed in the sea of phospholipids are small amounts of cholesterol (roughly the same size) to help prevent weakening of the cell membrane at high temperatures.\n\nAs for proteins, there are many types with many functions!\n- transport proteins\n- identity markers\n- junctioning proteins (stick to other cells)\n- anchors for cytoskeleton\n- enzymes\n- hormone receivers
80083
Let's get semantical on you.\n\nWhat is biology?... the study of life, right?\n\nWhat is life? Or maybe better way of phrasing that question is: What is alive?\n\nAnything that meets all the following criteria:\n\nAble to obtain and use energy. \nAble to reproduce.\nAble to respond and adapt to their environment. \n\nSo when we study biology we study things that can do these different things and, more specifically, we study how living things do these different things. Basically, we're trying to understand how living things live.\n\nNow, back to you question concerning chemistry...\n\nHow do you suppose living things are able to do all the things on the list above? You guessed it: CHEMISTRY.\n\nAll the processes above are carried out by chemical reactions that take place between different molecules. Most of these reactions include tiny sub-microscopic machines called proteins. All these proteins are doing is carrying out very specific chemical reactions.\n\nSo when you boil it all down, biology is nothing more than the study of chemical processes that take place in living systems. In fact, it's these chemical processes that allow for life to begin with.
416216
"The liver is an astounding laboratory sustaining metabolism. Among its functions are purification of the blood, removing poisonous ammonia from proteins, detoxifying alcohol and drugs, controlling the body's sugar and cholesterol balance, making bile to digest fats, forming clotting factors for the blood and generating new blood cells. This myriad of functions makes clear why the liver is essential to life."
827476
Protein comes from animal sources-meat, eggs\n\nProtein~~>\nEssential for life\nbuilds and repairs all tissues\nForms antibodies to fight infections\nSupplies some energy\nHelps maintain fluid balance\nAssists in acid-base balance\nBuilds lean muscle mass\n\nGood Luck
885040
the building blocks of protein
1078664
Proteins:\nAny of a group of complex organic macromolecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and usually sulfur and are composed of one or more chains of amino acids. Proteins are fundamental components of all living cells and include many substances, such as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies, that are necessary for the proper functioning of an organism. They are essential in the diet of animals for the growth and repair of tissue and can be obtained from foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, and legumes.\n\nNucleic Acid:\nAny of a group of organic substances found in the chromosomes of living cells and viruses that play a central role in the storage and replication of hereditary information and in the expression of this information through protein synthesis. In most organisms, nucleic acids occur in combination with proteins; the combined substances are called nucleoproteins. Nucleic acid molecules are complex chains of varying length. The two chief types of nucleic acids are DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which carries the hereditary information from generation to generation, and RNA (ribonucleic acid), which delivers the instructions coded in this information to the cell's protein manufacturing sites.\n\nHope tht helped
843668
That would depend on the protein...Some proteins are needed in the nucleus (such as transcription factors), so they will go through their respective transporters into the nucleus. Other proteins need to get embedded in the cell membrane (such as receptors). Some proteins are enzymes and find other molecules to bind with and change...\n\nAlso, I forgot, most proteins go through post-translational modification (splicing, methylation, etc) before they are actually functional.
554300
Proteins are made of amino acids, the basic formula for them is:\n.......R\n........|\nH2N-C-COOH\n........|\n.......H\nwhere R is a side chain specific to each amino acid. there are 2 basic aminoacids which make all the proteins. Some proteins contain more than 100 amino chains.
582504
Another important thing to note about an enzyme is that it isn't used up in the reaction, so it can be recycled over and over. An enzyme is a protein that helps in a chemical reaction to speed it up. Enzymes are very specific in the reactions that they will interact with. An enzyme will only catalyze its own reaction.
856318
The function of DNA is to allow an organism or cell to synthesize proteins and to pass that cell's/organism's characteristic to future generations of both cells (mitosis) and offspring (meiosis) \n\nIn protein synthesis, the vast DNA base pair sequence contains the blueprints for every protein produced by the body.  Through transcription of certain genes by RNA polymerase a strand of mRNA is produced.  This mRNA then exits the nucleus and enters the ribosome.  There, with the help of tRNA, the ribosome "reads" the mRNA and constructs a chain of amino acids until a complete protein is produced.  \n\nIn order to make sure future cells have the exact genetic makeup of parent cells, DNA Polymerase unzips the double helix and makes an identical copy of the entire DNA sequence.  During mitosis, these identical chromatids separate, and the cell divides into two daughter cells with identical DNA.