Chapter 31

Question 1

how is ammonium ion incorporated into an amino acid?

Answer 1

through glutamate and glutamine

Question 2

what does glutamate dehydrogenase do?

Answer 2

it catalyzes the incorporation of ammonia into alpha-ketoglutarate to generate glutamate

Question 3

why is glutamate important to biosynthesis reactions?

Answer 3

glutamate serves as a nitrogen source, such as the synthesis of amino acids from alpha - ketoacids

Question 4

what provides the carbon skeletons for amino acid synthesis?

Answer 4

intermediates of the glycolytic pathway, citric acid cycle, and pentose phosphate pathway

Question 5

what are nonessential amino acids?

Answer 5

amino acids that can be synthesized by humans

usually synthesized by simple reactions

Question 6

what are essential amino acids?

Answer 6

amino acids that are required in the diet

usually have complex synthetic pathways and cannot be synthesized

Question 7

what can happen if there is a deficiency in a single essential amino acid?

Answer 7

it can have severe physiological consequences