SELF-ASSESSMENT

1. Draw one of the 20 amino acids and label the amino group, the carboxyl group, the side chain (R group), and the alpha carbon.
2. Name four major groups of amino acids, categorized by the properties of their side chains.
3. Describe the importance to proteins of peptide bonds, hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, disulfide bridges, and noncovalent interactions.

   4-20

4. Explain how the order of amino acids determines the way in which a protein folds.
5. Explain the relationship between protein folding and protein function.
6. Describe the relationship between codons of mRNA, anticodons of tRNA, and amino acids.
7. Describe the process by which ribosomes synthesize polypeptides.
8. Name and describe two ways that proteins can acquire new functions in the course of evolution.