Amino Acid Catabolism Flashcards
What is our source of amino acids?
Proteins in our diet
Are there any storage mechanisms for amino acids?
No
What are the three roles of amino acids in metabolism?
Involved in the synthesis of proteins, metabolised to generate energy and converted to small active molecules.
What does decarboxylation do?
Removes a COOH in the form of a CO2
What does transamination do?
Takes an amino acid and an a-keto acid and swaps the amine and keto groups to form new molecules.
What is a non-specific transaminase?
A transaminase that isn’t specific to a particular amino acid
What are specific transaminases?
Those that are specific to a particular donor amino acid and are named after them
What is the most important non-specific transaminase?
Glutamate transaminase
What does deamination do?
Removes an amine group
What are the two types of deamination?
Oxidative and non-oxidative
What is the difference between oxidative and non-oxidative deamination?
Oxidative requires NAD+ and FAD whereas non-oxidative does not.
What are the two ketogenic amino acids and how do you remember them?
Lucine and Lysine, only two that start with L
What are the four ketogenic and glycogen of amino acids and how do you remember them?
Phenylalanine, isoleucine, tryptophan and tyrosine; PITT
What happens when the body comes into contact with ammonia?
Ammonia attaches to another molecule to create an amino acid and is then expelled by the urea cycle
Where does protein digestion occur?
In the stomach and small intestine.
