What is the possible number of different combinations of a 20 amino acid long polypeptide that can be formed in any living cell?
Besides, how many different Tripeptides can be made using the 20 commonly occurring amino acids?
So figure the average amino acid at 100 Daltons (roughly). So there are 20 × 20 = 400 distinct proteins of 2 amino acids, 8000 with 3, 160,000 with 4, 3,200,000 with just 5.
Considering this, how many different kinds of proteins can be made by this number of amino acids?
Because amino acids can be arranged in many different combinations, it's possible for your body to make thousands of different kinds of proteins from just the same 21 amino acids. You may see books that say there are only 20 amino acids.
The side groups are what make each amino acid different from the others. Of the 20 side groups used to make proteins, there are two main groups: polar and non-polar. Polar amino acids like to adjust themselves in a certain direction. Non-polar amino acids don't really care what's going on around them.