# 2.4 Helix Breakers & Structural Disruptors

> Helix Breakers & Structural Disruptors (Module 2: The Weaver). Key concept: Pro breaks, Gly flexibility. Explain why proline breaks helices: a rigid ring, no amide hydrogen to donate, and a broken i → i+4 bond.

Helix Breakers & Structural Disruptors (Module 2: The Weaver). Key concept: Pro breaks, Gly flexibility. Explain why proline breaks helices: a rigid ring, no amide hydrogen to donate, and a broken i → i+4 bond.

- Explain why proline breaks helices: a rigid ring, no amide hydrogen to donate, and a broken i → i+4 bond
- Explain why glycine destabilises both helices and sheets through excess backbone freedom
- Predict where a proline or glycine insertion would disrupt secondary structure in a given sequence
- Recognise that such disruptions are often deliberate and functional

## Links

- [Module 2: The Weaver](https://proteindesign.academy/module/2)
- [2.1 The Alpha Helix](https://proteindesign.academy/module/2/1)
- [2.2 Beta Sheets](https://proteindesign.academy/module/2/2)
- [2.3 Loops, Turns & the Unsung Heroes](https://proteindesign.academy/module/2/3)
- [2.5 Backbone Geometry: The Ramachandran Map](https://proteindesign.academy/module/2/5)
- [2.integration Secondary Structure Prediction](https://proteindesign.academy/module/2/integration)
- [The Pattern Master](https://proteindesign.academy/module/2/capstone)