14 Questions
What type of amino acid is aspartic acid?
Dicarboxylic
Which amino acid has an amide group?
Asparagine
What is the 1-letter abbreviation for the amino acid Proline?
P
Which class of amino acids does Histidine belong to?
Heterocyclic
What is the 3-letter abbreviation for the amino acid Glutamine?
Gln
Which aromatic amino acid has an Indole functional group?
Tryptophan
Which functional groups are present in every amino acid?
Amino group and carboxylic group
What is the term given to a peptide chain consisting of 5-9 amino acids?
Oligopeptide
Which class of amino acids includes glycine?
Simple
What is the three-letter abbreviation for threonine?
Thr
In a tripeptide, how many possible different combinations can be formed using the 20 standard amino acids?
8000
What is the one-letter abbreviation for methionine?
M
What main characteristic distinguishes branched-chain amino acids from others?
Carbon chain branching off the main structure
Which peptide is typically referred to as a protein due to its length?
Polypeptide with more than 50 amino acids
Study Notes
Amino Acids Classification
- Dicarboxylic amino acids: Aspartic acid (Asp, D) and Glutamic acid (Glu, E)
- Amino acids with amide group: Asparagine (Asn, N) and Glutamine (Gln, Q)
- Dibasic amino acids: Lysine (Lys, K) and Arginine (Arg, R)
- Heterocyclic amino acid: Histidine (His, H)
- Imino acid: Proline (Pro, P) - also known as Imino acid due to its Pyrrolidine ring structure
Aromatic Amino Acids
- Phenylalanine (Phe, F)
- Tyrosine (Tyr, Y)
- Tryptophan (Try, W)
Structure of Amino Acids
- Each amino acid has a core structure consisting of a central carbon atom known as the alpha (α) carbon
- Amino acids contain an amino group, a carboxylic group, and a side chain
Formation of Peptide Linkage
- Dipeptide: 2 amino acids linked together
- Tripeptide: 3 amino acids linked together - can have 20^3 = 8000 different combinations
- Tetrapeptide: 4 amino acids linked together
- Oligopeptide: 5-9 amino acids linked together
- Polypeptide: 10-50 amino acids linked together
- Polypeptides with more than 50 amino acids are usually termed as proteins
Simple and Branched-Chain Amino Acids
- Simple amino acids: Glycine (Gly, G), Alanine (Ala, A)
- Branched-chain amino acids: Valine (Val, V), Leucine (Leu, L), Isoleucine (Ile, I)
Hydroxy and Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids
- Hydroxy amino acids: Serine (Ser, S), Threonine (Thr, T)
- Sulfur-containing amino acids: Cysteine (Cys, C), Methionine (Met, M)
Learn about the core structure of amino acids, including the alpha carbon, amino group, carboxylic group, and side chain. Understand how peptide linkages are formed and the differences between dipeptides and tripeptides.
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