Editing Protein tertiary structure (section)

{{short description|Three dimensional shape of a protein}}
{{about|tertiary structure in protein|the article about tertiary structure in nucleic acid|Nucleic acid tertiary structure}}

{{refimprove|date=February 2025}}
{{Protein structure}}
[[File:Tertiary Structure of a Protein.svg|alt=Tertiary Structure of a Protein|frame|The tertiary structure of a protein consists of the way a polypeptide is formed of a complex molecular shape. This is caused by R-group interactions such as ionic and hydrogen bonds, disulphide bridges, and hydrophobic & hydrophilic interactions.]]
'''Protein tertiary structure''' is the three-dimensional shape of a [[protein]]. The tertiary structure will have a single [[polypeptide]] chain "backbone" with one or more [[protein secondary structure]]s, the [[protein domain]]s. [[Amino acid]] [[side chain]]s and the backbone may interact and bond in a number of ways. The interactions and bonds of side chains within a particular protein determine its tertiary structure. The protein tertiary structure is defined by its [[atom]]ic coordinates. These coordinates may refer either to a protein domain or to the entire tertiary structure.<ref>{{GoldBookRef|title=tertiary structure|file=T06282}}</ref><ref name="bran">Branden C. and Tooze J. "Introduction to Protein Structure" Garland Publishing, New York. 1990 and 1991.</ref> A number of these structures may bind to each other, forming a [[Protein quaternary structure|quaternary structure]].<ref name=kyte>Kyte, J. "Structure in Protein Chemistry." Garland Publishing, New York. 1995. {{ISBN|0-8153-1701-8}}</ref>