Amino acids

Articles

• DOPA
  29 October 2004
• tyrosine
  29 October 2004

  Tyrosine (abbreviated as Tyr or Y) or 4-hydroxyphenylalanine, is one of the 20 amino acids that are used by cells to synthesize proteins. Tyrosine has a polar side group. Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid and is found in casein.
  The word "tyrosine" is from the Greek tyros, meaning cheese, as it was first discovered in 1846 by German chemist Justus von Liebig in the protein casein from cheese.
  Functions
  Aside from being a proteogenic amino acid, tyrosine has a special role by virtue (...)

• serine
  1 June 2004

  L-serine serves as a building block for protein synthesis and can be modified in different metabolic pathways to generate several essential compounds.
  Although it is available from dietary sources, L-serine can be synthesized from 3-phosphoglycerate via 3 enzymatic steps in the phosphorylated pathway. PSAT (EC 2.6.1.52) catalyzes the second step in the pathway, conversion of 3-phosphohydroxypyruvate into 3-phosphoserine.
  See also
  serine biosynthesis pathway anomalies of the serine (...)

• glycine
  1 June 2004

  Pathology
  Mutations in genes encoding the glycine cleavage system predispose to neural tube defects in mice and humans. (#22171071#)
  See also
  glycine cleavage system (#22171071#)
  References
  Mutations in genes encoding the glycine cleavage system predispose to neural tube defects in mice and humans. Narisawa A, Komatsuzaki S, Kikuchi A, Niihori T, Aoki Y, Fujiwara K, Tanemura M, Hata A, Suzuki Y, Relton CL, Grinham J, Leung KY, Partridge D, Robinson A, Stone V, Gustavsson P, Stanier (...)

• glutamate
  3 May 2004

  Glutamate is a central junction for interchange of amino nitrogen, glutamate facilitates both amino acid synthesis and degradation.
  In the liver, glutamate is the terminus for release of ammonia from amino acids, and the intrahepatic concentration of glutamate modulates the rate of ammonia detoxification into urea.
  In pancreatic beta-cells, oxidation of glutamate mediates amino acid-stimulated insulin secretion.
  In the central nervous system, glutamate serves as an excitatory (...)