Amino Acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side chain that varies between different amino acids...contain the key elements of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen...are critical to life, and have many functions in metabolism.

...Continued Below

Alanine

Arginine

Asparagine

Gamma Amino Butyric Acid

Amino acids are critical to life, and have many functions in metabolism.

One particularly important function is as the building blocks of proteins, which are linear chains of amino acids.

Every protein is chemically defined by this primary structure, its unique sequence of amino acid residues, which in turn define the three-dimensional structure of the protein.

Just as the letters of the alphabet can be combined to form an almost endless variety of words, amino acids can be linked together in varying sequences to form a vast variety of proteins.

Amino acids are also important in many other biological molecules, such as forming parts of coenzymes, as in S-adenosylmethionine, or as precursors for the biosynthesis of molecules such as heme(Iron).

Due to this central role in biochemistry, amino acids are very important in nutrition.

Amino acids are commonly used in food technology and industry.

For example, monosodium glutamate is a common flavor enhancer that gives foods the taste called umami.

They are also used in industry. Applications include the production of biodegradable plastics, drugs and chiral catalysts.

The Strecker amino acid synthesis

Standard amino acids

Amino acids are the structural units that make up proteins.

They join together to form short polymer chains called peptides or longer chains called either polypeptides or proteins.

These polymers are linear and unbranched, with each amino acid within the chain attached to two neighboring amino acids.

The process of making proteins is called translation and involves the step-by-step addition of amino acids to a growing protein chain by a ribozyme that is called a ribosome.

The order in which the amino acids are added is read through the genetic code from an mRNA template, which is a RNA copy of one of the organism's genes.

Essential	Nonessential
Isoleucine	Alanine
Leucine	Asparagine
Lysine	Aspartic Acid
Methionine	Cysteine*
Phenylalanine	Glutamic Acid
Threonine	Glutamine*
Tryptophan	Glycine*
Valine	Proline*
	Selenocysteine*
	Serine*
	Tyrosine*
	Arginine*
	Histidine*
	Ornithine*
	Taurine*

(*) Essential only in certain cases

Twenty-two amino acids are naturally incorporated into polypeptides and are called proteinogenic or standard amino acids.

Of these twenty-two, twenty are directly encoded by the universal genetic code.

The remaining two, selenocysteine and pyrrolysine, are incorporated into proteins by unique synthetic mechanisms.

Selenocysteine is incorporated when the mRNA being translated includes a SECIS element, which causes the UGA codon to encode selenocysteine instead of a stop codon.

Pyrrolysine is used by some methanogenic archaea in enzymes that they use to produce methane.

It is coded for with the codon UAG, which is normally a stop codon in other organisms.

The two optical isomers of alanine, D-Alanine and L-Alanine

In human nutrition

When taken up into the human body from the diet, the twenty two standard amino acids are either used to synthesize proteins and other biomolecules or oxidized to urea and carbon dioxide as a source of energy.

The oxidation pathway starts with the removal of the amino group by a transaminase, the amino group is then fed into the urea cycle.

The other product of transamidation is a keto acid that enters the citric acid cycle.

Glucogenic amino acids can also be converted into glucose, through gluconeogenesis.

β-alanine and its α-alanine isomer

Pyrrolysine trait is restricted to several microbes, and only one organism has both Pyl and Sec.

Of the twenty-two standard amino acids, eight are called essential amino acids because the human body cannot synthesize them from other compounds at the level needed for normal growth, so they must be obtained from food.

However, the situation is quite complicated since cysteine, taurine, tyrosine, histidine and arginine are semiessential amino acids in children, because the metabolic pathways that synthesize these amino acids are not fully developed.

The amounts required also depend on the age and health of the individual, so it is hard to make general statements about the dietary requirement for some amino acids.

The condensation of two amino acids to form a peptide bond

Non-protein functions

In humans, non-protein amino acids also have important roles as metabolic intermediates, such as in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter ,lkgamma-aminobutyric acid. Many amino acids are used to synthesize other molecules, for example:

Tryptophan is a precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Glycine is a precursor of porphyrins such as heme.
Arginine is a precursor of nitric oxide.
Ornithine and S-adenosylmethionine are precursors of polyamines.
Aspartate, glycine and glutamine are precursors of nucleotides.
Phenylalanine is a precursor of various phenylpropanoids which are important in plant metabolism.

The general structure of an alpha amino acid.

However, not all of the functions of other abundant non-standard amino acids are known, for example taurine is a major amino acid in muscle and brain tissues, but although many functions have been proposed, its precise role in the body has not been determined.

Some non-standard amino acids are used as defenses against herbivores in plants.

For example canavanine is an analogue of arginine that is found in many legumes, and in particularly large amounts in Canavalia gladiata (sword bean).

This amino acid protects the plants from predators such as insects and can cause illness in people if some types of legumes are eaten without processing.

The non-protein amino acid mimosine is found in other species of legume, particularly Leucaena leucocephala.

This compound is an analogue of tyrosine and can poison animals that graze on these plants.

Non-standard amino acids

Aside from the twenty-two standard amino acids, there are a vast number of "non-standard" amino acids.

These non-standard amino acids found in proteins are formed by post-translational modification, which is modification after translation in protein synthesis.

These modifications are often essential for the function or regulation of a protein.

Amino Acid	3-Letter	1-Letter	Side-chain polarity	Side-chain charge (pH 7.4)	Hydropathy index	Absorbance λmax(nm)	ε at λmax (x10−3 M−1cm−1)
Alanine	Ala	A	nonpolar	neutral	1.8
Arginine	Arg	R	nonpolar	positive	−4.5
Asparagine	Asn	N	polar	neutral	−3.5
Aspartic acid	Asp	D	polar	negative	−3.5
Cysteine	Cys	C	nonpolar	neutral	2.5	250	0.3
Glutamic acid	Glu	E	polar	negative	−3.5
Glutamine	Gln	Q	polar	neutral	−3.5
Glycine	Gly	G	nonpolar	neutral	−0.4
Histidine	His	H	polar	positive(10%) neutral(90%)	−3.2	211	5.9
Isoleucine	Ile	I	nonpolar	neutral	4.5
Leucine	Leu	L	nonpolar	neutral	3.8
Lysine	Lys	K	polar	positive	−3.9
Methionine	Met	M	nonpolar	neutral	1.9
Phenylalanine	Phe	F	nonpolar	neutral	2.8	257, 206, 188	0.2, 9.3, 60.0
Proline	Pro	P	nonpolar	neutral	−1.6
Serine	Ser	S	polar	neutral	−0.8
Threonine	Thr	T	polar	neutral	−0.7
Tryptophan	Trp	W	nonpolar	neutral	−0.9	280, 219	5.6, 47.0
Tyrosine	Tyr	Y	polar	neutral	−1.3	274, 222, 193	1.4, 8.0, 48.0
Valine	Val	V	nonpolar	neutral	4.2

The twenty-one amino acids found in eukaryotes, grouped according to their side chains' pKa's and charge at physiological pH 7.4

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Amino Acids

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Read an article in Wikipedia with references and links June 17, 2010 *

Read an article in Wikipedia with references and links May 26, 2011

** Amino acid. (2011, May 26). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Retrieved 19:53, May 26, 2011, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=

Amino_acid&oldid=430982768

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Amino Acids

Mother understands that right now too many people are having problems with depression. She also knows that this is from a problem with not enough serotonin or a depletion of serotonin. However, there are 24 different kinds of serotonin receptors and when seeking out medication one must find the kind that is specific to the receptor that is needed by you.

Tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin and it is in some of the food that we eat.

There is also a great amount of serotonin in our gut and if you take a good probiotic daily, it will also supply you with some of the needed serotonin for you.

Mother wants you to learn the information that you need to and talk to your doctor before prescribing yourself any amino acids to take.

Sincerely, Mother

____________________

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Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physicians, health care professional or other professional. You should not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any health problem, symptom or disease, prescribing any medication or other treatment, or in place of any other professional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. Your discretion is advised.

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