Vocab Chapter 6 Lesson 1 Flashcards
Acid–Base Balance
The process of achieving, or the state of, equilibrium between acidic and alkaline molecules.
Cell Signaling
Process of communication between cells by biological messengers to govern cellular function.
Organic Molecules
Chemical structures containing only carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and/or nitrogen.
Amino Acids
The organic building blocks of proteins containing both a carboxyl and an amino group.
Essential Amino Acid (EAA)
Amino acids that are necessary for bodily functions but cannot be synthesized by the body and, therefore, must be obtained in the diet.
Branched Chain Amino Acid
The three essential amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) which are abundant in skeletal muscle tissue and named for their branch-like structure.
Conditionally Essential Amino Acids
Amino acids that are not typically essential, but can become essential during times of extreme dietary insufficiency, illness, or trauma.
Nonessential Amino Acids
Amino acids that can be synthesized by the body and do not, under normal circumstances, need to be obtained in the diet.
Gluconeogenesis
A metabolic pathway that results in the generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates such as lactate, glycerol, and glucogenic amino acids.
Protein Synthesis
Process of joining amino acids with peptide bonds to form proteins.
Dehydration Synthesis
The joining of two large molecules by removing one hydrogen from one molecule and a hydroxyl group (OH) from another molecule and then binding the two larger molecules together on the newly freed bonds.
Peptide Bond
The bond between two amino acids, occurring between the carboxyl group of one and the amino group of the other.
Hydrolysis
Breakdown of one large molecule into two smaller molecules via the donation of one hydrogen and one hydroxyl group from water to the smaller molecules, respectively.
Dipeptide
A chain of two amino acids.
Tripeptide
A chain of three amino acids.
