Question:
The folds in collagen are due to?
The folds in collagen are due to?
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Which amino acid is small enough to sit at the crowded core of a triple helix?
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Glycine
- Alanine
- Arginine
- Histidine
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Collagen is a triple helix made of three polypeptide alpha-chains wound tightly together. To pack into this structure, every third residue of each chain must be glycine.
Step 2: Glycine has the smallest side chain (just a hydrogen atom), so it is the only residue small enough to fit in the crowded central core of the triple helix where the three chains come closest.
Step 3: The repeating sequence is written as (Gly-X-Y)n, where X is often proline and Y is often hydroxyproline. Glycine therefore makes up about 33 percent of the residues, and it is glycine that allows the characteristic folding. Alanine, arginine, and histidine have bulkier side chains and cannot serve this role.
Step 2: Glycine has the smallest side chain (just a hydrogen atom), so it is the only residue small enough to fit in the crowded central core of the triple helix where the three chains come closest.
Step 3: The repeating sequence is written as (Gly-X-Y)n, where X is often proline and Y is often hydroxyproline. Glycine therefore makes up about 33 percent of the residues, and it is glycine that allows the characteristic folding. Alanine, arginine, and histidine have bulkier side chains and cannot serve this role.
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