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Naturally Occurring Polymers—Animals 349
FIGURE 10.14 Helical structural arrangement of amylose derived from α-d-glucose units.
Protofibril
Microfibril
Microfibril
Alpha-helix
Cortical cell
FIGURE 10.15 Buildup of wool hair.
sliding past one another the various bundles of protein. For the muscle, the sliding of the various
sheets is also a factor.
These assemblies of more simple structures to form more complex structures is also found in the
plant world. Thus, plant fibers often contain various cellulosic-intense layers that are not placed on
top of one another, but rather are at some angle to one another resulting in increased strength and
flexibility for the fi ber.
10.7 PROTEIN FOLDING
Just as the functioning of nucleic acids depends in part on its overall structure, so also does
the activity of proteins depend on overall structure. Protein folding is one of the “hot” areas
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