Amino Acids Flashcards
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Amino acids?
Organic compounds made in the body which combine to form proteins
Structure of amino acids?
Carbon bonded to an amino group, carboxyl group, variable side chain(r group)
The r group is also known as
Side chain
What is the simplest amino acid
Glycine
What does chiral mean?
An object that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image
Enantiomers
Left and right isomers of chiral molecules
Standard amino acids?
Amino acids that are precursors to protein?
Non standard amino acids?
Also called nonproteinoginic. Amino acid derivatives found in proteins
Alanine
A
Ala
Arginine
R
Arg
Asparagine
N
Asn
Aspartic acid
D
Asp
Examples of non standard amino acids
4 hydroxyproline and 5 hydroxylysine in collagen
6 N Methyllysine
In what ways can amino acids be classified
Structure of side chain
Polarity of side chain
Nutritional requirements
Metabolic fate
Hydrophilic side chains are found where?
Located at the exterior of the protein molecule in contact with aqueous polar environment
Hydrophobic side chain(non polar?
Buried in the interior of the protein molecule far from the aqueous environment
Examples of aa with aliphatuc r non polar r group
Glycine Alanine Valine leucine Isoleucine Proline Methionine
Examples of aa with non polar r group aromatic
Phenylamine, tyrosine, tryptophan
Mnemonic for non polar r groups
Gan and pip ventured into my land
Polar uncharged groups
Sam told Cain no questions
Serine, Threonine, Cysteine, Asparagine, Glutamine
Polar positively charged R groups
HAL
Histidine Arginine Lysine
Polar negatively charged r groups
Don’t eat
Aspartate Glutamate
Essential amino acids
Cannot be synthesized de novo so acquired through food. 9 in number
Mnemonic
Any help in learning these little molecules proves truly valuable
arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, tryptophan, lysine, methionine, phenyanine, threonince, valine
What is a ketogenic aa
One that can be degraded directly into acetyl coA which is the precursor of ketone bodies.
2 in humans.
L amino acids
Leucine and lysine
