Amino Acid Chemistry

Question 1

What are amino acids used for?

Answer 1

Major metabolites
Neurotransmitters
Signalling molecules
Building blocks of proteins

Question 2

What are amino acids?

Answer 2

Organic molecules
Ampholytes
Alpha-amino carboxylic acid

Question 3

Where did amino acids come from?

Answer 3

First appeared 4b years ago
Over 500 found in nature
Only 22 used in protein synthesis
Only 20 are common to all organisms

Question 4

What is polarity?

Answer 4

The distribution of charge across a molecule

Question 5

How is polarity caused?

Answer 5

The bonding of two different electronegativities

Question 6

How does an atom become non polar?

Answer 6

When the distribution of electrons is even

Question 7

How does an atom become polar?

Answer 7

When the distribution of atoms is uneven

Question 8

What is pH?

Answer 8

How many hydrogen ions (protons) are in the solution

Question 9

What is pKa

Answer 9

How acidic a compound is at a given pH - Lower the pKa, stronger the acid

Question 10

Acidic amino acids have what pKa?

Answer 10

<7.4

Question 11

Basic amino acids have what pKa?

Answer 11

> 7.4

Question 12

What happens to acidic groups and basic groups at pH 7.4?

Answer 12

Acidic groups get deprotonated, making them negatively charged
Basic groups will be protonated, making them positively charged

Question 13

What is a protein?

Answer 13

A polymer of amino acids linked by peptide bonds

Question 14

How is protein structure formed?

Answer 14

The overall shape and chemical properties of amino acids

Question 15

What is the primary

Answer 15

A regular polypeptide amino acid chain, single sequence

Question 16

What is the secondary

Answer 16

Beta pleated sheet
Alpha helix
Hydrogen bonds

Question 17

What is the tertiary

Answer 17

Three dimensional folding

Question 17

What is the quaternary

Answer 17

Multiple subunits joining

Question 18

What determines the protein structure?

Answer 18

The amino acid side chain’s interaction with eachother

Question 19

How does the protein start to fold?

Answer 19

Water - The charged exterior and non charged interior

Question 20

What are Disulphide bonds?

Answer 20

Covalent bonds between cysteine residues
Very strong
Cytoplasm is a strong reducing environment
More common in extracellular proteins

Question 21

What helps proteins to fold?

Answer 21

Chaperones

Question 22

What is the purpose of the ER?

Answer 22

Helps certain proteins fold, prepares them and performs quality control

Question 23

How does a mutation cause sickle cell disease?

Answer 23

An Adenine in the Wildtype Haemoglobin is substituted for a Thymine, causing a different amino acid to be coded for, affecting the tertiary and quaternary structure

Question 24

What is CTFR?

Answer 24

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane receptor

Question 25

What does the CTFR do?

Answer 25

Transports chloride ions outside of the cell, affecting osmotic balance to attract water, thinning mucous

Question 26

How many CTFR mutations affect protein folding and trafficking?

Answer 26

1700

Question 27

What types of drugs are there for CTFR correcting drugs

Answer 27

Correctors
Potentiators
Amplifiers (early stage of testing)