Peptides MEX / Glossary
Amino acid: a building block and its place in a sequence
Reading a sequence requires distinguishing its units from the order in which they connect.
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From a unit to a chain
Amino acids form the chains of proteins. Within a chain, the incorporated units are called amino acid residues: a bonded unit differs from an isolated free molecule. A protein contains one or more folded chains.
Sources: [1]
Composition is not sequence
A list naming glycine, alanine and lysine identifies components but may not establish their order. When comparing peptides, retain the complete sequence and declared modifications. Sharing amino acids does not establish molecular identity.
Sources: [1]
Questions about this reference
Are chains containing the same amino acids identical?
Not necessarily. Residue order is also part of the identity of a chain.
Sources and original reading
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