I need desperate help with Protein Structures!?

Question

We're studying macromolecules right now and i basically get everything except for the protein structure.

Like, I don't even know what protein structure is.

Is it like a "test" you use to categorise how advanced a protein is? Or does it describe how peptides turn into proteins? I'm very confused, and I have looked all over the internet but they all give me dictionary definitions that I don't understand. Can somebody please define protein structures and the 4 structures (Primary, secondary, tertiary, Quaternary) to me in non-dictionary terms? THANKS!

Answer 1

Protein structure is three dimensional shape the protein chain forms.

Primary is the amino acid sequence.

Secondary is only alpha helices and beta sheets, two common structures in proteins.

Tertiary is the 3D structure of the entire protein chain.

Quaternary is the structure of several protein chains.

Answer 2

all i cn tell you is that a protien is made up of amino-acids, the amino acids are held toether by peptide bonds..