Proteins - MCAT Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

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Question

Integral proteins span the entire width of the plasma membrane. They are used to facilitate the diffusion of specific compounds across the membrane.

Which amino acid would you expect to find in the middle of an integral protein embedded in the phospholipid bilayer?

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Answer

The middle of the phospholipid bilayer is composed of nonpolar fatty acid tails. As a result, we would expect to find a nonpolar amino acid in the middle of the bilayer as part of the integral protein. Leucine is a nonpolar amino acid, so it could be found in the middle.

All other amino acids listed are either polar or charged.

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