Proteins are an essential part of all life forms, and the ability to make new proteins is one of the most important functions for all living cells. Although proteins are essentially made from a few different elements, there are many different structures needed to make new proteins. A balanced diet can provide all of the different substances needed to make the proteins required to sustain life.
Chemical Elements in Proteins
The human body contains a variety of different elements, but the three most common ones are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. These three elements are found in virtually all compounds in the human body, including fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Proteins also contain the elements nitrogen and sulfur. Many different minerals, such as iron and copper, are also important for the function of proteins, but they are needed in much smaller amounts. However, the human body cannot simply combine the necessary elements together in isolation; instead, a variety of different compounds -- made up of the same elements as proteins -- are needed to synthesize new proteins.
DNA
One important structure for making proteins is DNA, also known as deoxyribonucleic acid acid. DNA is the hereditary material that lets cells know what proteins to make and when to make them. A small portion of your body's DNA forms a sequence known as genes; these genes are used as a template that determines the properties of the made protein.
RNA
RNA, also known as ribonucleic acid, is a substance that is related to DNA. There are many different kinds of RNA in the body, but mRNA is particularly important for making new proteins. When a cell needs to make new proteins, the mRNA binds to DNA and makes a copy of it. Then the mRNA moves to a part of the cell, known as a ribosome, that helps turn the mRNA template into a protein.
Amino Acids
All proteins are made of amino acids, and the purpose of DNA and mRNA is to control the order of amino acids in a protein. There are 20 different amino acids used in proteins made by the human body. Of these amino acids, half can be made by the body; these amino acids are known as non-essential amino acids. The essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and must come from the diet.
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