(Unit A) Topic 2: Amino Acids Flashcards
What process creates proteins?
Translation
Proteins are polymers of…
Amino acids
Describe:
General characteristics of amino acids
- Chiral α-carbon (except for glycine)
- Carboxyl group
- Amine group
- R group
True or False:
Both L and R forms of amino acids are present in proteins
False, only L-forms are incorporated in proteins
How do amino acids form bonds? What are these bonds called?
via Condensation Reaction
* Forms Peptide Bonds
What groups does a peptide bond form between?
Forms between the amine and carboxyl groups of two amino acids
True or False:
Most proteins contain all 20 amino acids
True, though the prevalence of certain amino acids may be lower
What are the two ends of a polypeptide known as?
- N-terminus
- C-terminus
In what direction do we read an amino acid?
From N-terminus to C-terminus
List:
Hydrophobic (non-polar) amino acids
- Alanine (A, Ala)
- Valine (V, Val)
- Leucine (L, Leu)
- Isoleucine (I, Ile)
- Methionine (M, Met)
- Phenylalanine (F, Phe)
- Tryptophan (W, Trp)
- Proline (P, Pro)
- Glycine (G, Gly)
List:
Polar amino acids
- Serine (S, Ser)
- Asparagine (N, Asn)
- Threonine (T, Thr)
- Tyrosine (Y, Tyr)
- Glutamine (Q, Gln)
- Histidine (H, His)
- Cysteine (C, Cys)
List:
Charged Amino acids
- Aspartate (D, Asp)
- Glutamate (E, Glu)
- Lysine (K, Lys)
- Arginine (R, Arg)
True or False:
Glycine is chiral
False, glycine is not chiral
What is the:
1. Smallest amino acid?
2. Largest amino acid?
- Glycine
- Tryptophan
What are the ionizable groups in amino acids?
- α-amino group
- α-carboxylate group
- Some side groups
