Unveil the mysteries of proteins and their key roles in the body

When it comes to protein, many say that it is an important component of all cells and tissues of the human body, and all important components of the body need to be involved in protein. In this article, researcher Professor Nathan Ahlgren from Clark University explains what proteins are, how they are formed, and what important functions proteins play in the body.

What is protein?

Protein is the basic structure existing in all life, of course, it is first a molecule. The key to protein is that it is composed of smaller components, and these components are amino acids. We can imagine amino acids into a string of beads of different colors, each bead represents an amino acid, and amino acids are composed of smaller molecules, which contain carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and sometimes sulfur atoms. So proteins are essentially a string of structures composed of these small amino acids, and we can combine 22 different amino acids in any different combination to produce different proteins.

Proteins usually do not exist as beads, which fold into a specific shape according to different amino acid sequences and modes of interaction, and this shape can affect the role that proteins play in the body.

Where do amino acids come from?

Amino acids in the body come from the food we eat, of course, we will also make amino acids in the body, for example, other animals will also make protein, and we will obtain protein by ingesting the meat of these animals; the body will decompose these protein chains into single amino acids, and then transform them into the protein we need, once the protein is decomposed into amino acids in the digestive system, it will be taken to the cells and float in the cells, like the small beads we compare, and then in the cells, the body will connect them to make the protein we need; we can make about half of the amino acids needed by the body, and the others can be obtained from the food.

What roles do proteins play in the body?

Scientists are not sure, and most people agree that there are about 20,000 different proteins in the body, and studies have shown that there are even more proteins, which perform a variety of different and functional functions to switch the body's metabolism and promote cells to maintain together. These functions of proteins can be divided into several categories. First, they are structural. Our body is composed of many different structures. Imagine the linear structure, globular structure, etc.; they constitute the substances that link the body together; collagen is a special protein, which constitutes the structures of skin, bone and even teeth; integrin is a special protein that makes the intercellular junctions more flexible, while hair and nails are composed of a protein called keratin.

Another important role that proteins play is that they play special biochemical reactions in body cells, such as breaking down fats or amino acids; researchers say that certain proteins break down proteins ingested by the body, and even this function can be done by proteins such as pepsin; another example is hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen in the blood. Proteins can process signals and information, such as circadian proteins that can maintain time in cells.

Why is protein often closely related to muscle and meat?

Different types of foods contain a variety of different protein contents, such as wheat and rice and other plants have many carbohydrates, and their protein content is not rich; however, generally meat is more rich in protein, and the muscles of the human body also require a large amount of protein to make; so this is why protein is often closely linked to eating meat and building muscles, but the role of protein in the body may not be so far.