Amino Acids

Structure and Classification
of Amino Acids
BIOCHEMISTRY
LCMD
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.
Twenty amino acids are needed to build the

various proteins
Used in the growth, repair, and maintenance of

body tissues
Definition
Amino acids are a group of organic compounds

contain two functional groups:
Amino gp –NH3
Carboxyl gp –COOH,
a distinctive side chain-R gp
bouned to the alpha carbon
Classification
Based on Structure & Chemical Nature

Based on Polarity
Based on Metabolic Fate
Based on Nutritional Requirement
Structure & Chemical Nature
1: Amino Acids with Aliphatic Side chains

Simple
Branched Chain
Simple Amino Acids
Glycine:
H-CH-COOH
I
NH2
Alanine:
CH3-CH-COOH
I
NH2
Branched Chain Amino Acids
Valine
H3C
CH-CH-COO-
H3C I
NH3
Leucine
Isoleucine
2: Hydroxyl Group Containing
Serine
Theorinine
3: Sulphur containing AA
Cysteine
Cystine
Methionine
4:Acidic Amino Acids
Two COOH groups and one NH3 Group
e.g. Aspartic acid

Glutamic acid
5: Basic Amino Acids
One COOH group and

Two NH3 Groups
e.g Arginine
Lysine
Hydroxylysine
6:Aromatic Amino Acids
Phenyl alanine
Tyrosine
7: Imino Acids
Proline
Hydroxyproline
7. Imino acid
• Proline containing
pyrrolidinering is a unique
amino acid.
• It has animino group ( NH),
instead of an aminogroup
( NH2) found in other amino
acids.
• Therefore, proline is an D-imino
acid.
Based on Polarity
Non-polar AA
Polar AA with no charge on R-gp
Polar AA with Positive R-gp
Polar AA with Negative R-gp
Hydrophobic or nonpolar
They have no charge

on the R-gp
Ala, Val, Leu, Ile, Gly,
Meth, Phe,Trp.
Hydrophilic or polar
 They have no charge

on the R-gp
 Gly, Ser, Thr, Cys,
Glu, Asp, Tyr.
 They contain gp s
such as hydroxl,
sulphdryl and
participate in
hydrogen bonding of
protein structure
Polar with positive R-gp
Polar with negative R-gp
Based on Nutritional Requirement
Essential
Non Essential
Semi- Essential
Essential Amino Acids
Not Synthesized by the body
Has to be taken in diet
Ten Amino Acids

isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine,
phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine,
Non Essential
Can be synthesized in the body
 alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine,

glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, proline,
serine, and tyrosine.
Semi-Essential
Can be synthesized in the body
If need is more , has to be taken in diet

E.g. Histidine and Arginine
Based on Metabolic Fate
Glucogenic
Ketogenic
Glucogenic & Ketogenic
Glucogenic
These AA can serve as precursor of Glucose and
Glycogen
e.g Ala, Asp, Gly and Meth.
Ketogenic
These AA can serve as precursor of Fats
e.g Leucine & Lysine.
Glucogenic & Ketogenic
These AA can serve as precursor of Glucose,
Glycogen as well as Fats as required.
e.g Isolucine,Tryptophan, Tyrosine and
Phenylalanine.
Properties of Amino Acids
The COOH and NH2 groups in amino acids are
capable of ionizing (as are the acidic and basic R-
groups of the amino acids).
R-COOH <--------> R-COO- + H+

R-NH3+ <---------> R-NH2 + H+
An amino acid with no ionizable R-group would
be electrically neutral at pH 7.4. This species is
termed a zwitterion
 When the net charge of an amino acid or protein
is zero the pH will be equivalent to the
isoelectric point: pI.
The hydrophobic amino acids--- interior of
proteins shielded from direct contact with water.
The hydrophilic amino acids--- exterior of
proteins as well as in the active centers of
enzymatically active proteins.
A tetrahedral carbon atom with 4 distinct
constituents is said to be chiral.
The one amino acid not exhibiting chirality is

glycine since its '"R-group" is a hydrogen atom.
Chirality --- handedness of a molecule that is
observable by the ability of a molecule to rotate
the plane of polarized light either to the right
(dextrorotatory) or to the left (levorotatory).
All of the amino acids in proteins exhibit the
same absolute steric configuration as L-
glyceraldehyde. Therefore, they are all L-a-amino
acids.
D-amino acids are never found in proteins,
although they exist in nature.
D-amino acids are often found in polypetide
antibiotics.
Functions of Amino Acids
Tyrosine- Thyroid Hormones, Melanin
Tryptophan- Niacin
Gly, Cys, Met- Creatine
Glu, Gly– Glutathione
Gly,Cys- Bile Salts
Histidine- Histamine
Tryptophan- Serotonin
Asp,Glut, Ser- Purine & Pyramidine
Specialized Amino Acids
Amino Acids that do not participate in protein
formation
 Beta Alanine-CoA
 Alpha amino butyric acid-Neurotransmitter
 Taurine, ornithine, citrulline-Urea Cycle

Amino Acids

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Structure and Classification

Twenty amino acids are needed to build the

Used in the growth, repair, and maintenance of

Amino acids are a group of organic compounds

Based on Structure & Chemical Nature

1: Amino Acids with Aliphatic Side chains

e.g. Aspartic acid

One COOH group and

They have no charge

 They have no charge

Has to be taken in diet

Ten Amino Acids

Can be synthesized in the body

 alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine,

Can be synthesized in the body

If need is more , has to be taken in diet

R-COOH <--------> R-COO- + H+

The one amino acid not exhibiting chirality is

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