amino acid

Noun
  1. Organic compounds containing an amino group and a carboxylic acid group (synset 114626007)
    "proteins are composed of various proportions of about 20 common amino acids"
    is a type of: organic compound - any compound of carbon and another element or a radical
    subtypes:
    • 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)
    • 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
    • tyrosine - an amino acid found in most proteins; a precursor of several hormones
    substance meronym: 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
    same as: aminoalkanoic acid

Found on Word Lists

Other Searches