Amino acid - Overview

In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. In biochemistry, this shorter and more general term is frequently used to refer to alpha amino acids: those amino acids in which the amino and carboxylate functionalities are attached to the same carbon, the so-called α–carbon. An amino acid residue is what is left of an amino acid once a molecule of water has been lost (an H+ from the nitrogenous side and an OH- from the carboxylic side) i ...

Including:

• Amino acid - Overview
• Amino acid - General structure
• Amino acid - Isomerism
• Amino acid - Reactions
• Amino acid - List of standard amino acids
• Amino acid - Structures
• Amino acid - Chemical properties
• Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids
• Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids
• Amino acid - Uses of substances derived from amino acids

Read more here: » Amino acid: Encyclopedia - Amino acid

Amino acids are the basic structural building units of proteins. They form short polymer chains called peptides or polypeptides which in turn form structures called proteins. Twenty amino acids are encoded by the standard genetic code and are called proteinogenic or standard amino acids. At least two others are also coded by DNA in a non-standard manner as follows: Selenocysteine is incorporated into some proteins at a UGA codon, which is normally a stop codon. Pyrrolysine is used by some methanogens in enzymes that they use to produce methane. It is coded for similarly to selenocysteine ...

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Amino acid, Amino acid - Overview, Amino acid - General structure, Amino acid - Isomerism, Amino acid - Reactions, Amino acid - List of standard amino acids, Amino acid - Structures, Amino acid - Chemical properties, Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids, Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids, Amino acid - Uses of substances derived from amino acids

Read more here: » Amino acid: Encyclopedia II - Amino acid - Overview

Amino acid - Structures. Structures and symbols of the 20 amino acids present in genetic code. Alanine (Ala / A) Arginine (Arg / R) Asparagine (Asn / N) Aspartic Acid (Asp / D) Cysteine (Cys / C) Glutamic Acid (Glu / E) Glutamine (Gln / Q) Glycine (Gly / G) Histidine (His / H) Isoleucine (Ile / I) Leucine (Leu / L) Lysine (Lys / K) Methionine (Met / M) Phenylalanine (Phe / F) Proline (Pro / P) Serine (Ser / S) Threonine (Thr / T) Tryptophan ...

See also:

Amino acid, Amino acid - Overview, Amino acid - General structure, Amino acid - Isomerism, Amino acid - Reactions, Amino acid - List of standard amino acids, Amino acid - Structures, Amino acid - Chemical properties, Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids, Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids, Amino acid - Uses of substances derived from amino acids

Read more here: » Amino acid: Encyclopedia II - Amino acid - List of standard amino acids

The general structure of proteinogenic alpha amino acids is: R | H2N-C-COOH | H Where R represents a side chain specific to each amino acid. Amino acids are usually classified by properties of the side chain into four groups: acidic, basic, hydrophilic (polar), and hydrophobic (nonpolar). Amino acid - Isomerism. Except for glycine, where R = H, amino acids occur in two possible optical isomers, called D and L. Using the newer C ...

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Amino acid, Amino acid - Overview, Amino acid - General structure, Amino acid - Isomerism, Amino acid - Reactions, Amino acid - List of standard amino acids, Amino acid - Structures, Amino acid - Chemical properties, Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids, Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids, Amino acid - Uses of substances derived from amino acids

Read more here: » Amino acid: Encyclopedia II - Amino acid - General structure

Depending on how polar the side chain, aminoacids can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic to various degree. This influences their interaction with other structures, both within the protein itself and within other proteins. The distribution of hydrophilic and hydrophobic aminoacids determines the tertiary structure of the protein, and their physical location on the outside structure of the proteins influences their quaternary structure. For example, soluble proteins have surfaces rich with polar aminoacids like serine and threonine, while integral ...

See also:

Amino acid, Amino acid - Overview, Amino acid - General structure, Amino acid - Isomerism, Amino acid - Reactions, Amino acid - List of standard amino acids, Amino acid - Structures, Amino acid - Chemical properties, Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids, Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids, Amino acid - Uses of substances derived from amino acids

Read more here: » Amino acid: Encyclopedia II - Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids

The general structure of proteinogenic alpha amino acids is: COOH | H-C-R | NH2 Where "R" represents a side chain specific to each amino acid. Amino acids are usually classified by properties of the side chain into four groups: acidic, basic, hydrophilic (polar), and hydrophobic (nonpolar). Amino acid - Isomerism. Except for glycine, where R = H, amino acids occur in two possible optical isomers, called D and L. The L amino acids represent the vast majorit ...

See also:

Amino acid, Amino acid - Overview, Amino acid - General structure, Amino acid - Isomerism, Amino acid - Reactions, Amino acid - List of standard amino acids, Amino acid - Structures, Amino acid - Chemical properties, Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids, Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids, Amino acid - Uses of substances derived from amino acids

Read more here: » Amino acid: Encyclopedia II - Amino acid - General structure

Amino acid - Structures. Structures and symbols of the 20 amino acids present in genetic code. Amino acid - Chemical properties. Following is a table listing the one letter symbols, the three-letter symbols, and the chemical properties of the side chains of the standard amino acids. The mass listed is the weighted average of all common isotopes, and includes the mass of H2O. The one-letter symbol for an undetermined amino acid is X. The three-letter sy ...

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Amino acid, Amino acid - Overview, Amino acid - General structure, Amino acid - Isomerism, Amino acid - Reactions, Amino acid - List of standard amino acids, Amino acid - Structures, Amino acid - Chemical properties, Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids, Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids, Amino acid - Uses of substances derived from amino acids

Read more here: » Amino acid: Encyclopedia II - Amino acid - List of standard amino acids

Aside from the twenty standard amino acids and the two special amino acids, selenocysteine and pyrrolysine, already mentioned above, there is a vast number of "nonstandard amino acids" which are not used in the body's regular manufacturing of proteins. Examples of nonstandard amino acids include the sulfur-containing taurine and the neurotransmitters GABA and dopamine. Other examples are lanthionine, 1-amino isobut ...

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Amino acid, Amino acid - Overview, Amino acid - General structure, Amino acid - Isomerism, Amino acid - Reactions, Amino acid - List of standard amino acids, Amino acid - Structures, Amino acid - Chemical properties, Amino acid - Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids, Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids, Amino acid - Uses of substances derived from amino acids

Read more here: » Amino acid: Encyclopedia II - Amino acid - Nonstandard amino acids