Why does a proteins primary structure influence its secondary and tertiary structure?
The primary structure is the sequence – that is, the order in which amino acids are put together. The secondary structure refers to weak interactions within the molecule, such as hydrogen bonding, and the tertiary structure, to interactions between the side chains, examples being hydrophobic/hydrophilic. You have to understand that that different amino acids will be hydrophobic/hydrophilic, and for example, the grouping of hydrophobic amino acids in a segment of the sequence (primary structure) will cause this segment to be situated deep at the core of the structure to prevent water molecules from getting to it, thereby stabilising the structure. Hydrogen bonding will cause formation of alpha helices or beta pleated sheets, and the size or nature (hydrophobic/hydrophilic) of the side chains of the amino acids might determine which is preferred. Hope I helped, good luck!
