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Nitrogen is a fundamental chemical component of amino acids, the molecular building blocks of protein. As such, nitrogen balance may be used as an index of protein metabolism. [1] When more nitrogen is gained than lost by an individual, they are considered to have a positive nitrogen balance and be in a state of overall protein anabolism.
Metabolism (/ m ə ˈ t æ b ə l ɪ z ə m /, from Greek: μεταβολή metabolē, "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms.The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the conversion of food to building blocks of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and some carbohydrates; and the ...
Nitrogen can be fixed by lightning converting nitrogen gas (N 2) and oxygen gas (O 2) in the atmosphere into NO x (nitrogen oxides). The N 2 molecule is highly stable and nonreactive due to the triple bond between the nitrogen atoms. [75] Lightning produces enough energy and heat to break this bond [75] allowing nitrogen atoms to react with ...
Protein toxicity is the effect of the buildup of protein metabolic waste compounds, like urea, uric acid, ammonia, and creatinine.Protein toxicity has many causes, including urea cycle disorders, genetic mutations, excessive protein intake, and insufficient kidney function, such as chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury.
Nitrogen assimilation is the formation of organic nitrogen compounds like amino acids from inorganic nitrogen compounds present in the environment. Organisms like plants, fungi and certain bacteria that can fix nitrogen gas (N 2) depend on the ability to assimilate nitrate or ammonia for their needs. Other organisms, like animals, depend ...
Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium is a two step process, reducing NO 3 − to NO 2 − then NO 2 − to NH 4 +, though the reaction may begin with NO 2 − directly. [1] Each step is mediated by a different enzyme, the first step of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium is usually mediated by a periplasmic nitrate reductase.
Nitrogen fixation, which converts atmospheric nitrogen (N 2) to ammonia, and denitrification, which converts biologically available nitrogen compounds to N 2 and N 2 O, are two of the most important metabolic processes involved in the nitrogen cycle because they are the largest inputs and outputs of nitrogen to ecosystems. They allow nitrogen ...
In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a linked series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. The reactants , products, and intermediates of an enzymatic reaction are known as metabolites , which are modified by a sequence of chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes .