News tagged with amino acids
Experts reveal how plants don't get sunburn
(PhysOrg.com) -- Experts at the University of Glasgow have discovered how plants survive the harmful rays of the sun.
14 hours ago |
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New study sheds light on genetics of rice metabolism
A large-scale study analyzing metabolic compounds in rice grains conducted by researchers at the RIKEN Plant Science Center (PSC) and their collaborators has identified 131 rice metabolites and clarified the ...
Feb 08, 2012 |
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When did the feather take flight?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some 125 million years ago--more recently than once thought possible -- the molecular structure of the modern feather began to take form, according to molecular dating research by scientists ...
Feb 07, 2012 |
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Chemists develop faster, more efficient protein labeling
North Carolina State University researchers have created specially engineered mammalian cells to provide a new "chemical handle" which will enable researchers to label proteins of interest more efficiently, without disrupting ...
Feb 05, 2012 |
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Mushroom amino acids revealed as cause of deaths in Yunnan province
(PhysOrg.com) -- Was the consumption of toxic mushrooms responsible for a series of unusual deaths in Chinas Yunnan province? A team led by Ji-Kai Liu (Beijing) has now found further proof of this hypothesis. ...
Feb 02, 2012 |
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New target for cancer therapy identified, preclinical study shows
Scientists from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) in Brussels identified a new target for cancer therapy, an enzyme which prevents the immune system from recognizing and destroying certain types of tumors. Called ...
Jan 31, 2012 |
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Genetic regulation of metabolomic biomarkers -- paths to cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes
In a study to the genetic variance of human metabolism, researchers have identified thirty one regions of the genome that were associated with levels of circulating metabolites, i.e., small molecules that ...
Jan 29, 2012 |
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Steroids prevent protein changes seen in the joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease where the body begins to attack the joints and organs of the body. Proteins within inflamed joints are often modified by citrullination, a process that converts ...
Jan 27, 2012 |
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Limiting protein or certain amino acids before surgery may reduce risk of surgical complications
Limiting certain essential nutrients for several days before surgeryeither protein or amino acidsmay reduce the risk of serious surgical complications such as heart attack or stroke, according to a new Harvard ...
Jan 25, 2012 |
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Foldit gamers improve protein design through crowdsourcing
(PhysOrg.com) -- Gamers on Foldit have succeeded in improving the catalyst abilities of an enzyme, making it 18-fold more active than the original version. The idea is the brainchild of University of Washington ...
Avalanche of reactions at the origin of life
The origin of life is seen as the formation of the first biomolecules which may be subject to multiplication and further development. Hitherto it was unclear, which reactions could have triggered the evolution of this ur-metabolism. ...
Jan 19, 2012 |
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Researchers discover 'green' pesticide effective against citrus pests
University of Florida researchers have discovered a key amino acid essential for human nutrition is also an effective insecticide against caterpillars that threaten the citrus industry.
Jan 17, 2012 |
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Scientists characterize protein essential to survival of malaria parasite
A biology lab at Washington University has just cracked the structure and function of a protein that plays a key role in the life of a parasite that killed 655,000 people in 2010.
Jan 06, 2012 |
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New research finds trigger for breast cancer spread
Research led by Shyamal Desai, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has discovered a key change in the body's defense system that increases the potential ...
Jan 03, 2012 |
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Improved method for protein sequence comparisons is faster, more accurate, sensitive
Lightning fast and yet highly sensitive: HHblits is a new software tool for protein research which promises to significantly improve the functional analysis of proteins. A team of computational biologists led by Dr. Johannes ...
Dec 25, 2011 |
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Amino acid
In chemistry, an amino acid is a molecule containing both amine and carboxyl functional groups. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent. In the alpha amino acids, the amino and carboxylate groups are attached to the same carbon atom, which is called the α–carbon. The various alpha amino acids differ in which side chain (R group) is attached to their alpha carbon. They can vary in size from just a hydrogen atom in glycine through a methyl group in alanine to a large heterocyclic group in tryptophan.
Amino acids are critical to life, and have a variety of roles in metabolism. One particularly important function is as the building blocks of proteins, which are linear chains of amino acids. Amino acids are also important in many other biological molecules, such as forming parts of coenzymes, as in S-adenosylmethionine, or as precursors for the biosynthesis of molecules such as heme. Due to this central role in biochemistry, amino acids are very important in nutrition.
Amino acids are commonly used in food technology and industry. For example, monosodium glutamate is a common flavor enhancer that gives foods the taste called umami. Beyond the amino acids that are found in all forms of life, amino acids are also used in industry. Applications include the production of biodegradable plastics, drugs and chiral catalysts.
For more information about Amino acid, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.