Biology / Unit 1 Bio 0212 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Protein Secondary Structure
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The idea
A protein's secondary structure is a repeating fold — a coiled helix or a folded sheet — held by hydrogen bonds along the backbone.
In practice
A stretch of amino acids coils into a helix when hydrogen bonds form at regular intervals between atoms in its backbone.
Where people slip
Secondary structure describes a local fold in one stretch of the chain, not the protein's overall shape.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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