The secondary structure of a protein refers to

The secondary structure of a protein refers to

  1. hydrophobic interactions
  2. fixed configuration of the polypeptide backbone
  3. sequence of α-­amino acids
  4. α ­helical backbone

Answer

Secondary structure of proteins is mainly of two types:

(i) α-helix: This structure is formed when the chain of α-amino acid coils as a right handed screw (called α-­helix) because of the formation of hydrogen bonds between amide groups of the same peptide chain.

(ii) β-­plated sheet: In this structure, the chains are held together by a very large number of hydrogen bonds between CO and NH of different chains.

The correct option is D.