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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]
Protein primary structure is the linear sequence of amino acids in a peptide or protein. [1] By convention, the primary structure of a protein is reported starting from the amino -terminal (N) end to the carboxyl -terminal (C) end. Protein biosynthesis is most commonly performed by ribosomes in cells.
Protein structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in an amino acid -chain molecule. Proteins are polymers – specifically polypeptides – formed from sequences of amino acids, which are the monomers of the polymer. A single amino acid monomer may also be called a residue, which indicates a repeating unit of a polymer.
The N-terminus (also known as the amino-terminus, NH2-terminus, N-terminal end or amine-terminus) is the start of a protein or polypeptide, referring to the free amine group (-NH 2) located at the end of a polypeptide. Within a peptide, the amine group is bonded to the carboxylic group of another amino acid, making it a chain.
An essential amino acid, or indispensable amino acid, is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized from scratch by the organism fast enough to supply its demand, and must therefore come from the diet. Of the 21 amino acids common to all life forms, the nine amino acids humans cannot synthesize are valine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine ...
Protein is a nutrient needed by the human body for growth and maintenance. Aside from water, proteins are the most abundant kind of molecules in the body. Protein can be found in all cells of the body and is the major structural component of all cells in the body, especially muscle. This also includes body organs, hair and skin.
Arginine is the amino acid with the formula (H 2 N) (HN)CN (H) (CH 2) 3 CH (NH 2)CO 2 H. The molecule features a guanidino group appended to a standard amino acid framework. At physiological pH, the carboxylic acid is deprotonated (−CO 2−) and both the amino and guanidino groups are protonated, resulting in a cation.
Amino acid biosynthesis is the set of biochemical processes (metabolic pathways) by which the amino acids are produced. The substrates for these processes are various compounds in the organism 's diet or growth media. Not all organisms are able to synthesize all amino acids. For example, humans can synthesize 11 of the 20 standard amino acids.