amino acid

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amino acid

Any of various compounds containing an amino group (NH₂), a carboxylic acid group (COOH), and a distinctive side chain, especially any of the 20 amino acids that link together to form proteins. Some amino acids (called nonessential) can be synthesized in the human body, while others (called essential) must be obtained through the diet.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

amino acid

(Biochemistry) any of a group of organic compounds containing one or more amino groups, -NH2, and one or more carboxyl groups, -COOH. The alpha-amino acids RCH(NH2)COOH (where R is either hydrogen or an organic group) are the component molecules of proteins; some can be synthesized in the body (nonessential amino acids) and others cannot and are thus essential components of the diet (essential amino acids)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ami′no ac′id

any of a class of organic compounds that contains at least one amino group, –NH₂, and one carboxyl group, –COOH: the alpha-amino acids, RCH(NH₂)COOH, are the building blocks from which proteins are constructed.

[1895–1900]

a·mi·no acid

(ə-mē′nō)

Any of a large number of compounds that are found in living cells, contain carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, and join together to form proteins. ♦ About 20 amino acids are needed by animal cells to produce proteins, but only about half, called nonessential amino acids, can be produced by animal cells. The remaining half, called , essential amino acids, must be obtained from food.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Noun

amino acid - organic compounds containing an amino group and a carboxylic acid group; "proteins are composed of various proportions of about 20 common amino acids"

aminoalkanoic acid

alanine - a crystalline amino acid that occurs in many proteins

asparagine - a crystalline amino acid found in proteins and in many plants (e.g., asparagus)

aspartic acid - a crystalline amino acid found in proteins and occurring naturally in sugar beets and sugar cane

canavanine - an amino acid found in the jack bean

citrulline - an amino acid that does not occur in proteins but is an intermediate in the conversion of ornithine to arginine

cysteine - an amino acid containing sulfur that is found in most proteins; oxidizes on exposure to air to form cystine

cystine - a crystalline amino acid found in proteins (especially keratin); discovered in bladder stones

dihydroxyphenylalanine, dopa - amino acid that is formed in the liver and converted into dopamine in the brain

essential amino acid - an amino acid that is required by animals but that they cannot synthesize; must be supplied in the diet

GABA, gamma aminobutyric acid - an amino acid that is found in the central nervous system; acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter

glutamic acid, glutaminic acid - an amino acid occurring in proteins; important in the nitrogen metabolism of plants; used in monosodium glutamate to enhance the flavor of meats

glutamine - a crystalline amino acid occurring in proteins; important in protein metabolism

glycine - the simplest amino acid found in proteins and the principal amino acid in sugar cane

hydroxyproline - a crystalline amino acid obtained from gelatin or collagen

iodoamino acid - an amino acid with iodine added

ornithine - an amino acid that does not occur in proteins but is important in the formation of urea

proline - an amino acid that is found in many proteins (especially collagen)

organic compound - any compound of carbon and another element or a radical

protein - any of a large group of nitrogenous organic compounds that are essential constituents of living cells; consist of polymers of amino acids; essential in the diet of animals for growth and for repair of tissues; can be obtained from meat and eggs and milk and legumes; "a diet high in protein"

creatin, creatine - an amino acid that does not occur in proteins but is found in the muscle tissue of vertebrates both in the free form and as phosphocreatine; supplies energy for muscle contraction

sarcosine - a sweetish crystalline amino acid

serine - a sweetish crystalline amino acid involved in the synthesis by the body of cysteine

thyronine - a phenolic amino acid of which thyroxine is a derivative

tyramine - amino acid derived from tyrosine; has a sympathomimetic action; found in chocolate and cola drinks and ripe cheese and beer; "patients taking MAOIs should avoid foods containing tyramine"

tyrosine - an amino acid found in most proteins; a precursor of several hormones

Translations

aminokyselina

aminosyre

Aminosäure

αμινοξύ

aminoácido

aminohappo

acide aminé

aminokiselina

amminoacido aminoacido

アミノ酸

aminoskābe

aminozuur

aminokwas

aminoácido

aminosyra

aminoasit

amino acid

n → Aminosäure f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

amino acid

[əˈmiːnəʊˈæsɪd] n → amminoacido

ami·no ac·id

n. aminoácido, compuesto orgánico metabólico necesario en el desarrollo y crecimiento humano esencial en la digestión e hidrólisis de proteínas.

amino acid

n aminoácido

References in periodicals archive ?

6) and minimum amount of amino acid produced was 0.4 g/l) in GM1 (Table VII).

Optimization of Fermentation Media for Enhanced Amino Acids Production by Bacteria Isolated from Natural Sources

Amino acid analysis was by ion exchange chromatography (IEC) [7] using the Technicon Sequential Multisample (TSM) Amino Acid Analyser (Technicon Instruments Corporation, New York).

Comparability of the amino acid composition of aril and seed of Blighia sapida fruit

Washington, Dec 16 (ANI): Scientists have identified amino acids, a fundamental building block of life, in a meteorite where none were expected.

Life's building blocks discovered on surprising meteorite

There is strong evidence that ileal, and not fecal, digestibility is the right parameter for correction of the amino acid score.

Journal abstracts: the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score

This February, in the journal PLoS One, Schultz's team described getting the tuberculosis bacterium to accept an unnatural amino acid, one of the first important human pathogens to do so.

Unnatural selection: chemists build proteins with parts not in the typical toolkit

The new findings, reported in the journal Cell Metabolism, raise the possibility of amino acid supplements benefiting humans.

Scientists claim: We've discovered 'elixir of life'

Amino acid producing bacteria were isolated from water of irrigation channels and soil from the vicinity of University of Agriculture Faisalabad (Nadeem et al., 2004).

Microbial Production of L-Isoleucine from Different Substrates using Locally Isolated Bacteria

Lysine is a metabolically indispensable amino acid. It is important for proper growth, plays an important role in both collagen formation and in the production of carnitine, a nutrient responsible for converting fatty acids into energy.

Amino acids, blood sugar balance and muscle protein maintenance

[USPRwire, Tue Sep 03 2019] Branched chain amino acids are amino acids composed of amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine amino acids.

Branched Chain Amino Acid Supplements Market Get Facts About Business Strategies 2018-2028

[ClickPress, Tue Sep 03 2019] Branched chain amino acids are amino acids composed of amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine amino acids.

Branched Chain Amino Acid Supplements Market Get Facts About Business Strategies 2018-2028

Methods: Blood samples from 40 adult (18-40 year) patients of mycologically-proven tinea corporis and 44 age-and sex-matched healthy controls were taken and assayed using high performance liquid chromatography for free amino acid levels.

Relationship of amino acid concentrations in blood with occurrence of dermatophytosis

Our bodies are able to store amino acids over the course of a day so that if one amino acid is in short supply in a meal, say lysine from a grain-based meal, stored amino acids from other meals, for example, stored lysine from an earlier bean-based meal, can be used to make body protein.