In the context of stable secondary protein architectures, the average number of amino acid residues — Biomolecules Chemistry Question
Question
In the context of stable secondary protein architectures, the average number of amino acid residues integrated per single turn of a right-handed $\alpha$ -helix is roughly $3.6$. For a theoretically perfect continuous $\alpha$ -helical polypeptide segment containing exactly $10$ full geometric turns, calculate the total number of amino acid residues present in that helix.
💡 Solution & Explanation
The right-handed $\alpha$ -helix is tightly coiled, utilizing $3.6$ amino acid residues to complete one full $360^\circ$ turn. If the helical segment strictly consists of 10 complete turns, the total number of amino acid residues structurally involved is $3.6 \times 10 = 36$ residues.