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BC Amino Acids > Intro to Amino Acids > Flashcards

Intro to Amino Acids Flashcards

1
Q

Which four groups are attached to the central carbon (α) of an amino acid?

A
  1. amino group (-NH2)
  2. carboxylic acid group (-COOH)
  3. hydrogen atom
  4. R group (side chain which varies in every single amino acid)
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2
Q

Which amino acid is the smallest?

A

Glycine

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3
Q

All amino acids are chiral (or has a stereogenic center), with the exception of?

A

Glycine

The α-carbon of most amino acids is chiral and optically active. Glycine is achiral because its R group is a hydrogen atom and it is therefore optically inactive.

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4
Q

Which four amino acids have alkyl side chains? (containing one to four carbons)

A
  1. alanine
  2. valine
  3. leucine
  4. isoleucine
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5
Q

Which amino acid has an unbranched alkyl side chain?

A

Alanine

(Alanine only has a methyl side chain and is therefore unbranched.)

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6
Q

Which three amino acids have uncharged aromatic side chains?

A
  1. phenylalanine (F)
  2. tryptophan (W)
  3. tyrosine (Y) (polar)​
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7
Q

Which two amino acids have R groups that are acidic and negatively charged?

A
  1. glutamate (E)
  2. aspartate (D)
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8
Q

Which three amino acids have R groups that are basic and positively charged?

A
  1. arginine (R)
  2. histidine (H)
  3. lysine (K)
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9
Q

Which two amino acids have sulfur in their R groups?

A
  1. methionine
  2. cysteine
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10
Q

Which amino acid creates kinks in α-helices and creates turns in β-pleated sheets?

A

Proline

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11
Q

Any amino acid with -OH in its R group can undergo which two processes?

A
  1. reversible bonding
  2. phosphorylation
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12
Q

Which three amino acids can undergo reversible bonding and phosphorylation, due to the presence of -OH in their R groups?

A
  1. serine (S)
  2. threonine (T)
  3. tyrosine (Y)
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13
Q

Which two amino acids have amide groups in their side chains that can be removed via transamination (or deamidation)?

A
  1. asparagine
  2. glutamine
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14
Q

Which amino acid is the only one with two rings?

A

Tryptophan

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15
Q

Which amino acid can serve as both an acid AND a base?

A

Histidine

(Because its pKa is close to physiological pH.)

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16
Q

Which amino acid is involved in metabolism?

A

Alanine

17
Q

Which amino acid has a pKa of 6?

A

Histidine

Because histidine has a pKa of 6, it has a 50% chance of being protonated (positively charged) OR deprotonated (neutral) at physiological pH.

18
Q

Which amino acid is involved in the formation of disulfide bridges?

A

Cysteine

(has a thiol (-SH) group in its side chain)

19
Q

What is the average molecular weight (MW) of ONE amino acid residue in a protein?

A

110 Da

(110 g/mole)

20
Q

Which two amino acids are constitutional isomers?

A
  1. leucine
  2. isoleucine
21
Q

Amino acids can occur in L and D configurations. Which configuration do eukaryotic organisms prefer?

A

L-configuration

(Only L-amino acids are manufactured in eukaryotic cells and incorporated into proteins.)

22
Q

Which three amino acids are an important source of energy in skeletal muscles and signals cells to synthesize proteins?

A
  1. leucine
  2. isoleucine
  3. valine

All three of these amino acids are branched.

23
Q

Which three amino acids can act as nucleophiles during enzymatic catalysis?

A
  1. serine
  2. threonine
  3. cysteine
24
Q

Which three amino acids function in absorbing UV light?

A
  1. tryptophan (280 nm)
  2. tyrosine (274 nm)
  3. phenylalanine (257 nm)
25
Q

All amino acids have an (S) absolute configuration, with the exception of?

A

Cysteine

26
Q

Which amino acid allows a protein to be flexible?

A

Glycine

(Glycine is the smallest amino acid and only has a hydrogen atom as its side chain.)

27
Q

Which two amino acids are used in in alpha helix and beta pleated sheet turns?

A
  1. glycine
  2. proline
28
Q

What is the one letter and three letter abbreviation for the amino acid tryptophan?

A

Tryptophan: (W) Trp

29
Q

What is the one letter and three letter abbreviation for the amino acid lysine?

A

Lysine: (K) Lys

30
Q

What is the one letter and three letter abbreviation for the amino acid threonine?

A

Threonine: (T) Thr

31
Q

What is the one letter and three letter abbreviation for the amino acid tyrosine?

A

Tyrosine: (Y) Tyr

32
Q

What is the one letter and three letter abbreviation for the amino acid glutamine?

A

Glutamine: (Q) Gln

33
Q

What is the one letter and three letter abbreviation for the amino acid glycine?

A

Glycine: (G) Gly

34
Q

What is the one letter and three letter abbreviation for the amino acid leucine?

A

Leucine: (L) Leu

35
Q

What is the one letter and three letter abbreviation for the amino acid asparagine?

A

Asparagine: (N) Asn

BC Amino Acids (3 decks)

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