What is the importance of hydrogen bonding in protein structure and function?
Basically, the primary structure of a polypeptide (the components of a protein – there can be one or more polypeptides in a protein) is the order in which amino acids are placed. The secondary structure is the way those amino acids bend and coil. The tertiary structure is the overall shape of the polypeptide. Hydrogen bonds are very important because they form links between adjacent amino acids (specifically the OH groups and H atoms on either side of the amino acid), which alters the shape of the protein or enzyme to what it needs to be. Bonds such as hydrogen bonds will pull “loose bits” of the protein together, helping the molecule keep its intended shape and therefore keep its active site the right shape. This diagram below might not come out right, but the : bit is a H bond, and the solid line is the protein.
