Amino Acids

Question 1

What are the essential AA

Answer 1

Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Methionine, Threonine, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Valine,

Question 2

What are the non essential AA

Answer 2

Alanine, aspartate, asparagine, glutamate, serine, arginine, cysteine, glycine, glutamine, proline, tyrosine

Question 3

How is arginine a conditional AA

Answer 3

Humans can synthesize arginine but not levels high enough necessary for growth

Question 4

What are the conditionally essential AA

Answer 4

Arginine, glycine, glutamine, proline, tyrosine

Question 5

What are the ketogenic AA

Answer 5

Lysine and Leucine

Question 6

What are the branched AA

Answer 6

Isoleucine, valine, leucine

Question 7

What is the role of insulin

Answer 7

Promotes protein synthesis: insulin phosphorylates mTOR –> mTOR phosphorylates and sequesters 4EBP –> dissociates from eIF4E which is free to do protein synthesis

Question 8

GABA

Answer 8

from glutamate, glutamate decarboxlyase removes CO2 –> GABA. An inhibitory neurotransmitter

Question 9

Creatinine

Answer 9

produced spontaneously, used to measure kidney function (via glomerular filtration rate)

Question 10

AA levels in blood

Answer 10

~35-63 mg/dL. Alanine and glutamine are most abundant

Question 11

Normal protein intake

Answer 11

~60-100 grams of protein/day

Question 12

Kwashiokor

Answer 12

• high carb, low protein
• 1st-2nd child issue
• fatty livers: livers uses carbs to make FA and esterify with glycerol
• Lack protein to make ApB 100 so can’t export via VLDL
• Lots of liquid in abdomen (low levels of albumin in blood, H2O seeps out into tissues : osmotic pressure

Question 13

Marasmus

Answer 13

• Energy deficiency: lack of calories

- body weight:

Question 14

Protein balance

Answer 14

• degrade and synthesize ~300-600 grams

- no way to store AA, proteins built, degraded after fulfill their use, rebuilt when needed

Question 15

Nitrogen balance

Answer 15

(-): more released than uptake

(+): more uptake than released

Question 16

Forms of nitrogen excreted

Answer 16

urea > ammoniun ion> creatinine > uric acid

Question 17

HPA axis

Answer 17

• stimulated by chronic stress
• makes cortisol (glucocorticoid receptor)
• hypothalmus (corticotropin releasing hormone) –>pituitary (adrenocorticotropic hormone) –>adrenal gland (cortisol)
• -> protein degradation

Question 18

Cushing’s disease

Answer 18

Anterior ptiuitary adenoma–> over stimulation and production of Cortisol –> nmuscle wastin

Question 19

Cushing’s syndrome

Answer 19

variety of causes: Cushing’s disease, tumors secreting cortisol, ingesting too much steroid

Question 20

Addison’s disease

Answer 20

deficit of cortisol (autoimmune destruction of adrenal cortex); need injections of cortisol

Question 21

Glutamine dehydrogenase

Answer 21

glutamate alpha ketoglutarate

makes NH3 and uses up NAD+ and H2O

Question 22

Glutamine synthetase

Answer 22

glutamate –> glutamine

to get to kidney

Question 23

Transaminase

Answer 23

AA1 +alpha keto acid 2 –> AA2 + alpha keto acid 1

Question 24

Glutaminase

Answer 24

glutamine –> glutamate (use H2O and make NH3)