Lecture 4 - Building Blocks of Proteins: Amino Acids Flashcards
What do all amino acids contain:
An alpha carbon, Amino group, Carboxyl group, Side (R) Chain
An alpha carbon with 4 different groups is called what?
Chiral
What forms can amino acids exist in?
L or D (predominantly L form)
What are enantiomers?
Non-superimposable mirror images
What is the predominant form of amino acids in solution?
Zwitterion (COOH deprotonated and NH2 protonated)
What are common in the 20 amino acids?
The backbone
What are different in the 20 amino acids?
The side chains
What does each amino acid have (naming)
A full name, abbreviated 3 letter name, 1 letter name.
What do the amino acids have due to their different side chains?
Different chemical properties
What do amino acid side chains do in proteins?
Carry out the biochemical reactions for which proteins are known
How are amino acids classified?
Based on their chemical properties
What are most non-polar amino acids?
Hydrophobic
Where are hydrophobic amino acids found?
Typically on the inside of a protein stabilising the structure (forming the hydrophobic core)
What is glycine’s R group?
A hydrogen making it non-chiral, flexible because its R group is small meaning it is found in regions which need to get tight and close together
What is cysteine commonly found in?
Proteases
What do phenylalanine and tryptophan have?
Aromatic side chains (resonance structures)
What does the R group in proline do?
Bends back to the main chain N forming a 5 membered covalently closed ring. This makes it rigid.
