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Multiple Choice
How many hydrogen bonds are typically found within an alpha helix that is 18 amino acids long?
A
20
B
18
C
14
D
16
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that an alpha helix is a common secondary structure in proteins, stabilized by hydrogen bonds.
In an alpha helix, each amino acid forms a hydrogen bond with the amino acid that is four residues ahead in the sequence.
Calculate the number of hydrogen bonds by subtracting 4 from the total number of amino acids, as the first few amino acids do not have enough preceding residues to form hydrogen bonds.
For an 18 amino acid long alpha helix, the number of hydrogen bonds is 18 - 4.
Conclude that the number of hydrogen bonds in an 18 amino acid long alpha helix is 14.