Byrd, please explain examples of proteins turned out by digestion because that is a curious one. I have never heard of it. However, we are talking
about the self assembly of complex polypeptides.
Let me give you a low-down on proteins although you probably know more than me on this. There are four types of protein structures:
Primary - the sequence of amino acids (about 20 in number), held together by peptide bonds which need enzymes - unlikely to self assemble.
Secondary structures - alpha helices (like hair protein) and beta pleated sheets (like silk) held togehter by hydrogen bonding.
Tertiary structure - alpha helices and beta pleated sheets and other amino acid sequences held together by sulphur-sulphur bonds from neighbouring
amino acids.
When some amino acids came togehter to make the active area of an enzyme ( a biological catalyst of chemical reactions), the amino acids in the active
site are SPECIFIC and can have a minimum of three amino acids. These can be from OPPOSITE ENDS OF A POLYPEPTIDE. Can you imagine what mutation in
high rates would do if active site amino acids were mutated? Some cell reactions would halt. Disaster to the cell.
Oh! and I forgot to mention quaternary structure but that is another story.


happily
ambling along side-by-side (never mind that the last dinosaur died millions of years before the first human ever drew breath)--do give one pause.
