Definition
noun, plural: amino acids
(1) A molecule consisting of the basic amino group (NH2), the acidic carboxylic group (COOH), a hydrogen atom (-H), and an organic side group (R) attached to the carbon atom, thus, having the basic formula of NH2CHRCOOH.
(2) The building block of protein in which each is coded for by a codon and linked together through peptide bonds.
Supplement
There are over 100 amino acids that have been found to occur naturally; each of them differs in R group. Twenty of them are involved in making up a protein, and are classified as whether they are non-essential or essential. Non-essential or dispensable amino acids are synthesized in the body. They are alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, asparagine, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine. Essential or indispensable amino acids cannot be synthesized in the body and can only be obtained through food. They are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
Related phrases: essential amino acid, nonessential amino acid, basic amino acid, polar amino acid, amino acid transmitter, amino acid permease, nonpolar amino acid, dibasic amino acid, alpha-amino acid.
See also: imino acid.
Dictionary > Amino acid
You will also like...
Primitive Animals
Life, as we know it today, is presumed to have started in the sea and many of them were likely eukaryotic animal-like or..
Regulation of Organic Metabolism, Growth and Energy Balance
The human body is capable of regulating growth and energy balance through various feedback mechanisms. Get to know the e..
Fruits, Flowers, and Seeds
This tutorial deals with the structure and function of flowers, fruits, and seeds. Also included here are the types of f..
The Homo Species
The evolution of the species of the genus "Homo" led to the emergence of modern humans. Find out more about human evolut..
Psychiatry & Mental Disorders
Different mental disorders are described here. Read this tutorial to get an overview of schizophrenia, affective mood di..
Early Mammals on Earth
The Earth's ecosphere was rapidly changing and throwing up a wide range of ecological niches that new adaptive organisms..