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Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. [1] Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. [2] Only these 22 appear in the genetic code of life. [3] [4]
Amino acids contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. (In biochemistry, the term amino acid is used when referring to those amino acids in which the amino and carboxylate functionalities are attached to the same carbon, plus proline which is not actually an amino acid).
The abundance of 15 N in some amino acids reflects an organism's position in a food web. This is due to the ways organisms metabolize different amino acids when they are consumed. Trophic amino acids (TrAAs) are first deaminated, meaning that the amino group is removed to produce an alpha-keto acid carbon skeleton.
Proteins differ from one another primarily in their sequence of amino acids, which is dictated by the nucleotide sequence of their genes, and which usually results in protein folding into a specific 3D structure that determines its activity. A linear chain of amino acid residues is called a polypeptide. A protein contains at least one long ...
A branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is an amino acid having an aliphatic side-chain with a branch (a central carbon atom bound to three or more carbon atoms). Among the proteinogenic amino acids, there are three BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. [1] Non-proteinogenic BCAAs include 2-aminoisobutyric acid and alloisoleucine. Leucine ...
Alanine (symbol Ala or A), [4] or α-alanine, is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an amine group and a carboxylic acid group, both attached to the central carbon atom which also carries a methyl group side chain. Consequently it is classified as a nonpolar, aliphatic α-amino acid.
Histidine (symbol His or H) [2] is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins.It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated –NH 3 + form under biological conditions), a carboxylic acid group (which is in the deprotonated –COO − form under biological conditions), and an imidazole side chain (which is partially protonated), classifying it as a ...
D-Amino acids are used in racemic crystallography to create centrosymmetric crystals, which, depending on the protein, may allow for easier and more robust protein structure determination. [9] Gramicidin is a polypeptide made up from mixture of D- and L-amino acids. [10] Other compounds containing D-amino acids are tyrocidine and valinomycin.