Certified in Public Health (CPH) Practice Exam

What are the basic component units linked together to make proteins?

1. Sugars

2. Nucleotides

3. Amino acids

4. Lipids

The correct answer is: Amino acids

Proteins are made up of basic building blocks called amino acids. Each amino acid consists of a central carbon atom bonded to an amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom, and a variable R group that determines the identity of the amino acid. When amino acids link together through peptide bonds, they form polypeptide chains, which then fold into specific three-dimensional structures to create functional proteins. Amino acids play a critical role in various biological processes, including enzyme function, structural support, and metabolic regulation. The specific sequence of amino acids in a protein ultimately determines its unique properties and functions, illustrating the importance of these components in biological systems. Other options like sugars, nucleotides, and lipids serve as fundamental elements in other biological macromolecules: sugars are involved in carbohydrate structures, nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA, and lipids serve as structural components of cell membranes and energy storage molecules. However, they are not involved in protein synthesis directly, reinforcing why amino acids are the correct answer.