Aromatic Amino Acids And Their Metabolic Disorders Explained

Aromatic Amino Acids And Their Metabolic Disorders Explained

Question 1. Semi-essential amino acids.
Answer:

• Those amino acids which can be synthesized by adults and not by growing children is known as semi-essential acids.
• Example: Arginine and histidine.

Question 2. Name the aromatic amino acids and inborn errors in them.
Answer:

Aromatic amino acids:

• Phenylalanine
• Tyrosine
• Tryptophan.

Question 3. Name sulfur-containing amino acids.
Answer:

• Cysteine
• Cystine
• Methionine.

Question 4. What are Zwitterions?
Answer:

• Zwitter ion, the word is derived from the Greek word meaning hybrid.

Zwitterions Synonym:

• Dipolar ion.

Zwitterions Definition:

• It is a hybrid molecule containing positive and negative ionic groups.
• In a strong acidic medium, the amino acid exists as positively charged while in a strong alkaline medium, it is negatively charged.
• Each amino acid at isoelectric pH carries both positive and negative charges and exists as ad Zwitter ion.

Zwitterions Example:

• Leucine at isoelectric pH = 6 is found as a Zwitter ion, below it exists as a cation and above 6 it exists as an anion.

Question 5. Transamination.
Answer:

Transamination Definition:

• The transfer of an amino group from an amino acid to a keto acid is known as transamination.

Transamination Enzyme involved:

• Transaminases catalyses transamination.

Transamination Mechanism:

1. Transfer of amino group to the coenzyme pyridoxal phosphate to form pyridoxamine phosphate.
2. Next transfer of the amino group of pyridoxamine phosphate to a keto acid.

Question 6. Where is urea synthesized?
Answer:

1. Urea is synthesized in the liver by the process called the urea cycle.
2. It required five distinct enzymes.