Overview
Each of the 20 most common amino acids has specific chemical characteristics and a unique role in protein structure and function. Based on the propensity of the side chains to be in contact with water (polar environment), amino acids can be classified into three groups:
1. Those with polar side chains.
2. Those with hydrophobic side chains.
3. Those with charged side chains.
Below we look at each of these classes and briefly
discuss their role in protein structure and function. Polar amino acids
When considering polarity, some amino acids are straightforward to define as polar, while in other cases, we may encounter disagreements. For example, serine (Ser, S), threonine (Thr, T), and tyrosine (Tyr, Y) are polar since they carry a hydroxylic (-OH) group. Furthermore, this group can form a hydrogen bond with another polar group by donating or accepting a proton (a table showing donors and
acceptors in polar and charged amino acid side chains can be found at the FoldIt site.
Tyrosine is also involved in metal binding in many enzymatic sites. Asparagine (Asn, N) and glutamine (Gln, Q) also belong to this group and may donate or accept a hydrogen bond. Histidine (His, H), on the other hand, depending on the environment and pH, can be polar or carry a charge. It has two –NH groups with a pKa
value of around 6. When both groups are protonated, the side chain has a charge of +1. Within protein molecules, the pKa may be modulated by the environment so that the side chain may give away a proton and become neutral or accept a proton, becoming charged. This ability makes histidine useful in enzyme active sites when the chemical reaction requires proton extraction. The aromatic amino acids tryptophan (Trp, W) and Tyr and the non-aromatic methionine (Met, M) are sometimes called amphipathic
due to their ability to have both polar and nonpolar character. In protein molecules, these residues are often found close to the interface between a protein and solvent. We should also note here that the side chains of histidine, and tyrosine, together with the hydrophobic phenylalanine and tryptophan, can also form weak hydrogen bonds of the types OH−π and CH−O, using electron clouds within their ring structures. For a discussion of OH−π and CH−O kinds of hydrogen bonds, see
Scheiner et al., 2002. A characteristic feature of aromatic residues is that they are often found within the core of a protein structure, with their side chains packed against each other. They are also highly conserved within protein families, with Trp having the highest conservation rate. Hydrophobic
amino acids
The hydrophobic amino acids include alanine (Ala, A), valine (Val, V), leucine (Leu, L), isoleucine (Ile, I), proline (Pro, P), phenylalanine (Phe, F) and cysteine (Cys, C). These residues typically form the hydrophobic core of proteins, which is isolated from the polar solvent. The side chains within the core are tightly packed and participate in van der Waals interactions, which are essential for stabilizing the structure. In addition, Cys residues are involved in
three-dimensional structure stabilization through the formation of disulfide (S-S) bridges, which sometimes connect different secondary structure elements or different subunits in a complex. Another essential function of Cys is metal binding, sometimes in enzyme active sites and sometimes in structure-stabilizing metal centers. Also, in the case of Cys, some disagreement exists on its assignment to the hydrophobic group. For example, according to some schemes, it is found in the interior due to
its high reactivity (Fiser et al., 1996), while others consider it polar (REF). The image below showing the distribution of buried/exposed fractions of amino acids in protein molecules suggests that Cys is rather exposed. Charged amino acids
The charged amino acids at neutral pH (around 7.4) carry a single charge in the side chain. There are four of them; the two basic ones include lysine (Lys, L) and arginine (Arg, R), with a positive charge at neutral pH. The two
acidic residues include aspartate (Asp, D) and glutamate (Glu, E), which carry a negative charge at neutral pH. A so-called salt bridge is often formed by the interaction of closely located positively and negatively charged side chains. Such bridges are often involved in stabilizing three-dimensional protein structure, especially in proteins from thermophilic organisms (organisms that live at elevated temperatures, up to 80-90 C, or even higher, REF). The binding of positively charged metal ions
is another function of the negatively charged carboxylic groups of Asp and Glu. Metalloproteins and the role of metal centers in protein function is a fascinating field of structural biology research. Glycine & proline
Glycine (Gly), one of the common amino acids, does not have a side chain and is often found at the surface of proteins within loop or coil regions (regions without defined secondary structure), providing high flexibility to the polypeptide chain.
This flexibility is required in sharp polypeptide turns in loop structures. Proline, although considered hydrophobic, is also found at the surface, presumably due to its presence in turn and loop regions. In contrast to Gly, which provides the polypeptide chain high flexibility, Pro provides rigidity by imposing certain torsion angles on the segment of the structure (Morgan & Rubenstein, 2013). The reason for this is
that its side chain makes a covalent bond with the main chain, which constrains the phi-angle of the polypeptide in this location (see the section of the Ramachandran plot). Sometimes Pro is called a helix breaker since it is often found at the end of α-helices. The importance of Gly and Pro in protein folding has been discussed by (Krieger et al., 2005).
Which amino acid is found in the core of a protein?
The core of the polypeptide is made up of the hydrophobic amino acids like phenyalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. These three amino acids are also aromatic and are the largest amino acids. The other hydrophobic amino acids, but are not aromatic, are: proline, valine, isoleucine, leucine and methionine.
Which amino acid is most likely to be found in the hydrophobic core of a protein?
Cysteine is the monomer most frequently found in the core, and thus represents the most markedly hydrophobic amino acid. Thus, despite cysteine having a polar group, it has a strong tendency to be buried in the core, which can be attributed to its ability to form disulfide bonds within the cores of protein structures.
Which amino acid is the most likely to be buried within a protein core?
Arginine (Arg) is the ionizable amino acid that is found most frequently buried in the protein interior (1–3).
What type of amino acids would you expect to find at the core in the middle of a water soluble globular protein?
What is typically found in the interior of a water-soluble globular protein? Answer: Hydrophobic amino acid residues cluster away from the surface in globular proteins, so much of the protein's interior is a tightly packed combination of hydrocarbon and aromatic ring R groups with very few water molecules.
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