alpha helix

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noun Biochemistry.

the rodlike spatial configuration of many protein molecules in which the polypeptide backbone is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between amino acids in successive helical turns.

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Origin of alpha helix

First recorded in1950–55

Words nearby alpha helix

alpha decay, alpha emitter, alpha-fetoprotein, alpha geek, alpha globulin, alpha helix, alpha-hydroxy acid, alpha iron, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, alpha-linolenic acid, alpha male

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for alpha helix

alpha helix

noun

biochem a helical conformation of a polypeptide chain, found abundantly in the structure of proteins

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for alpha helix

alpha helix

A common structure of proteins, characterized by a single, spiral chain of amino acids stabilized by hydrogen bonds. Compare beta sheet random coil.