Exam 1 Lectures 4-5 Flashcards
What is the ‘backbone’ structure of an aa?
Always:
Amine (-NH2), a carboxyl (-COOH), and (R) side chain attached to an alpha carbon
What is the pKa for carboxyl to loose H+?
Around 2
What is the pKa for amine to lose H+?
Around 9
At physiological pH, the aa is a __ and have a net __ charge
A zwitterion (pI) and have net neutral charge at physiological pH.
Chirality = chiral centers have __
2 enantiomers are possible
What is an enantiomer
Mirror images.
What configuration do we want?
L configuration (S absolute configuration)
What are the 4 aa categories Dr Ford wants us to learn?
- Polarity
- Size/shape
- Synthesis
- Proteinogenic and nonproeinogenic
What aa s sometimes polar bc of ring?
Tyrosine
What is the aa that can perform redox rxns and what is this important for?
Cysteine and for disulfide linkages
The suffix -ate eludes to
Deprotonated
Side chains pKa tells us when ___
Acidic
Cannot make ourselves or we make it but don’t make enough is an __ aa
Essential aa
We can make aa means its a __ aa
Non-essential
Tyrosine and its synthesis role as being non-essential:
Tyrosine: we can make it but making it from an essential aa phenylalanine
What does proteinogenic aa mean
Making proteins from genetic code
What does non-proteinogenic mean
Not directly decoded from genome
What is an example of non-proteinogenic aas
Aas made via translational modifications
How can we ‘expand’ the universal genetic code
By reassigning a stop codon: UAA, UAG, UGA
What is the 21 aa?
Seleocysteine (Sec, U)
What is Sec’s pka?
5.2
Sec is protonated or deprotonated at physio pH
Deprotonated
Sec is synthesized from which aa?
Serine
Sec can be process to __ in plants, algae, and yeast
Selenomethionine