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An alpha helix (or α-helix) is a sequence of amino acids in a protein that are twisted into a coil (a helix). The alpha helix is the most common structural arrangement in the secondary structure of proteins. It is also the most extreme type of local structure, and it is the local structure that is most easily predicted from a sequence of amino ...
The most common secondary structures are alpha helices and beta sheets. Other helices, such as the 3 10 helix and π helix , are calculated to have energetically favorable hydrogen-bonding patterns but are rarely observed in natural proteins except at the ends of α helices due to unfavorable backbone packing in the center of the helix.
Among the first structures to form once the polypeptide begins to fold are alpha helices and beta turns, where alpha helices can form in as little as 100 nanoseconds and beta turns in 1 microsecond. [30] There exists a saddle point in the energy funnel landscape where the transition state for a particular protein is found. [30]
Alpha-helical proteins are present in the inner membranes of bacterial cells or the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells, and sometimes in the bacterial outer membrane. [5] This is the major category of transmembrane proteins. In humans, 27% of all proteins have been estimated to be alpha-helical membrane proteins. [6]
A coiled coil is a structural motif in proteins in which 2–7 [1] alpha-helices are coiled together like the strands of a rope. (Dimers and trimers are the most common types.) They have been found in roughly 5-10% of proteins and have a variety of functions. [2]
The membrane-spanning segments, designated S1-S6, all take the form of alpha helices with specialized functions. The fifth and sixth transmembrane segments (S5 and S6) and pore loop serve the principal role of ion conduction, comprising the gate and pore of the channel, while S1-S4 serve as the voltage-sensing region. [3]
The beta strands are parallel, and the helix is also almost parallel to the strands. This structure can be seen in almost all proteins with parallel strands. The loops connecting the beta strands and alpha helix can vary in length and often binds ligands. Beta-alpha-beta helices can be either left-handed or right-handed.
All occur regularly in proteins and polypeptides but type I is most common, because it most resembles an alpha helix, occurring within 3 10 helices and at the ends of some classic alpha helices. Type II beta turns, on the other hand, often occur in association with beta-sheet as part of beta-links .