Basis of differentiation | Amino acids | Proteins |
Definition | Are simple organic compounds that are composed of an amino group, a carboxylic group and a varying side chain denoted as R | Are large nitrogenous organic macromolecules composed of amino acid chains |
Correlation | Are the building blocks of proteins | Are essentially strings of amino acids |
Composition | Are composed of a carboxylic acid group (COOH), an amino (NH2), and a variable side chain (R) | Are composed of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds |
Molecular mass | Have a relatively smaller molecular mass | Are macromolecules and have a larger molecular mass |
Synthesis inside the body | Only some of the 20 amino acids can be synthesized inside the body | All the proteins are synthesized inside the body |
Role | Play a key role in protein synthesis | Serve as a structural, regulatory, and functional molecule in the body, providing cellular structure, catalyzing metabolic reactions and facilitating DNA replication |
Number | Only 20 amino acids are involved in protein synthesis in all living organisms | More than 10 million proteins are produced in biological organisms |