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amino acid

[ uh-mee-noh as-id ]

noun

, Biochemistry.
  1. any of a class of organic compounds that contains at least one amino group, –NH 2 , and one carboxyl group, –COOH: the alpha-amino acids, RCH(NH 2 )COOH, are the building blocks from which proteins are constructed.


amino acid

noun

  1. any of a group of organic compounds containing one or more amino groups, -NH 2 , and one or more carboxyl groups, -COOH. The alpha-amino acids RCH(NH 2 )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 & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

amino acid

  1. Any of a large number of compounds found in living cells that contain carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, and join together to form proteins. Amino acids contain a basic amino group (NH 2 ) and an acidic carboxyl group (COOH), both attached to the same carbon atom. Since the carboxyl group has a proton available for binding with the electrons of another atom, and the amino group has electrons available for binding with a proton from another atom, the amino acid behaves as an acid and a base simultaneously. Twenty of the naturally occurring amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which they form by being connected to each other in chains. Eight of those twenty, called essential amino acids, cannot be synthesized in the cells of humans and must be consumed as part of the diet. The remaining twelve are nonessential amino acids.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of amino acid1

First recorded in 1895–1900
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Example Sentences

"We improve the arrangement of the amino acids in several iterations until the new protein is very close to the desired structure," says Christopher Frank.

Hairs were pulled out and used for the bulk stable isotope analysis and compound-specific nitrogen isotope analysis of amino acids.

Structural and immunology analysis by collaborators at the University of Copenhagen and The Scripps Research Institute revealed that these antibodies prevent parasite binding by a similar mechanism -- recognising three highly conserved amino acids on CIDRα1.

The energy that is being harvested as part of this research is being generated by squeezing amino acid molecules, the building blocks of proteins that exist in the human body.

When Salmonella enters the small intestine, it causes inflammation in the gut lining and disrupts the normal absorption of amino acids from food.

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