Name four biological functions of proteins in the human body, and give an example of a protein for each function.

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All right. Hi everyone. So this question is asking us which of the following statements about the function of protein in the human body. And the example provided is correct. Option A says proteins such as keratin provide support and mechanical shape. Option B says proteins such as endorphin control body functions by transporting messages to receptors. Option C says proteins such as transfer and are responsible for the transportation of substances across body fluids. And option D says all of the above. All right. So for this question, recall first and foremost that the word protein is a very broad term. The term protein encompasses several different biological molecules that are present in all living organisms. Now, proteins are composed primarily of amino acids, these are the monomers of proteins. And so when they combine together, they create these complex three dimensional structures that can vary depending on the individual protein. So because proteins can adopt several different complex structures, they have several different complex functions. So let's talk about a few of them. Now, when we talk about the classification of proteins by function, there are quite a few categories like I hinted at earlier, we have enzymes we have hormones, we have storage proteins, transport proteins, structural proteins, protective proteins and contractile proteins. Make sure you can see that in the frame. Now, even though there are many different categories of protein function, the nice thing is that some of them give hints as to their actual function based on their name, right? Storage proteins, for example, are responsible for keeping vital substances in stock for when the body needs them. Now transport proteins. On the other hand, are responsible for transporting these vital substances across body fluids to the areas that need them the most at a given time, right? Protective proteins protect the body from pathogens that may cause illness. Whereas contractile proteins are responsible for contracting, right? They perform mechanical work to produce movement specifically. Now, enzymes and hormones are a little bit different because their names don't really imply their function. But enzymes are primarily responsible for behaving as a catalyst in the human body. So the chemical reactions that are necessary for our biological function are made faster or are catalyzed by enzymes. Whereas hormones are referred to as the chemical messengers of the body, right? When a hormone binds to its appropriate receptor on a given cell, it's alerting that cell to some kind of change or some kind of action that needs to be done. So it sends a signal. So now let's go ahead and examine the answer choices. Option. A says that protein such as keratin provides support and mechanical shape. Now I did not mention this in my earlier overview of proteins but support and mechanical shape are in fact characteristic of structural proteins. Structural proteins tend to be very rigid and maintain the structural integrity of an extracellular matrix. Now, the example provided here is carton and keratin is very important to us because it's found in our hair, our nails and our epidermis, meaning the outermost layer of the skin. So statement A or option A is correct because carton does in fact protect our hair, nails and skin and also maintain their structure. So option A is correct. Now, option B on the other hand says that proteins such as endorphin control body functions by transporting messages to receptors. Now, option B like we talked about previously described or describes the role of hormones in the body and because an endorphin is in fact a hormone produced by the body in response to something pleasant or something that makes you happy. Option B is in fact correct, right? Because the role of the endorphin is to let the body know that something pleasant has happened. So it sends a message, right? It sends a signal and options C says that proteins such as transferring are responsible for the transportation of substances across body fluids. Now, option C does in fact describe transport proteins. So when we consider the name of the protein trans trans implies transfer and the fe and fin is the chemical symbol of iron in the periodic table. So the name trans tells us that this particular protein is responsible for the transport of iron through the blood to various body tissues. So option C is correct. This means that our answer is going to be option D in the multiple choice because all of the statements provided are in fact correct and there you have it. So if you stuck around to the end of this video, thank you so very much for watching. And I hope you found this helpful.

Name four biological functions of proteins in the human body, and give an example of a protein for each function.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

Key Concepts

Enzymatic Function

Structural Support

Transport Function