What is the cause of secondary structure in a protein?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Secondary structure in a protein is mainly caused by short range interactions between neighboring amino acids, such as hydrogen bonding between the carbonyl oxygen and amino hydrogen of different peptide bonds in the protein chain. These interactions lead to the formation of α-helices and β-sheets, which are the major components of protein secondary structure. Covalent bonding between different protein molecules (B) is not involved in the formation of secondary structure within a single protein molecule. Noncovalent interaction of groups of protein molecules (C) is more relevant to quaternary structure, which refers to the assembly of multiple protein subunits. Long distance conformation changes due to a large number of weak interactions (D) may lead to the formation of tertiary structure, but not secondary structure, which is primarily determined by local interactions.

What Is the Cause of Secondary Structure in a Protein