Page 116 - General Biochemistry
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2) Non-essential amino acids: they are amino acids that can be made by our
body ex: alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid,
glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine
N.B
Amino acids are polymerized via amide or “peptide” bonds:
Figure 27 peptide bond
• Amino acid polymers of ≤50 amino acids are called
“polypeptides, peptides, oligopeptides, etc.”
• Amino acids polymer of >50 amino acids are called “proteins.”
• An example of a “dipeptide” is the sweetener Aspartame.
IUPAC Name:“N-L- α – Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester”
Abbreviated Structure: Asp – Phe - OCH3
Aspartame side effects: headache, seizures, hyper activity in children and birth
defects
• Cross link between peptide chains: Disulfide linkages between individual
“cysteines” are called “cystines
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