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Example Questions
Example Question #441 : Biochemistry
Which of the following are considered aromatic amino acids?
I. Trp
II. Cys
III. Phe
IV. Tyr
I, II, and IV
I, II, and III
I, II, III, and IV
I, and III
I, III, and IV
I, III, and IV
Aromatic amino acids contain side chains with aromatic rings. Aromatic rings have alternating single and double bonds which form a conjugated pi system. The amino acids tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine contain aromatic ring systems. The amino acid cysteine does not have a side chain with a ring system. Instead it has a serine side chain with a sulfur in place of an oxygen.
Example Question #21 : Amino Acids And Proteins
Disulfide bonds can form between the thiol groups of which amino acid?
Glycine
Asparagine
Histidine
Cysteine
Methionine
Cysteine
Only cysteine has a side chain with a thiol group. A thiol group is a sulfur with a bonded hydrogen. Through an oxidation reaction, the sulfurs from two different cysteine amino acids can bond together to form a disulfide bridge. Methionine, the other sulfur containing amino acid, is incapable of forming disulfide bridges in biological systems.
Example Question #22 : Amino Acids And Proteins
Which of the following are common protein secondary structure elements?
I. Alpha helix
II. Beta sheet
III. Greek key
IV. Rossman fold
I and II
I only
I, II, III, and IV
I, II, and IV
I, II, and III
I and II
Alpha-helices, beta-sheets, and less regular turns, loops, and coils are all of the secondary structure elements. Greek keys and Rossman folds are examples of structural motifs that are comprised of specifically arranged secondary structure elements.
Example Question #51 : Fundamental Macromolecules And Concepts
Protein folding
__________ proteins assist other proteins to fold properly and help prevent the improper aggregation of polypeptide chains into non-functional units.
Kinase
Protease
Phosphatase
Hydrolase
Chaperone
Chaperone
Chaperone proteins assist in proper protein folding and prevent aggregate formation. Kinases add phosphate groups to target proteins, phosphatases remove them, and proteases are involved in protein degradation and recycling. Hydrolases use water to facilitate the breakage of a bond.
Example Question #442 : Biochemistry
What are the two fundamental functional groups that define a molecule as an amino acid?
Amide group and ketone group
Amine group and carboxylic acid group
Thiol group and aldehyde group
Thiol group and carboxylic acid group
Amine group and nitric acid group
Amine group and carboxylic acid group
All amino acids have the following main components: carbon backbone, an amine group, a carboxylic acid group, and a specific side chain to further define the particular amino acids. The other groups listed can serve as functional groups in other molecules, but an amino acid, at its baseline, is defined a a molecule with an amine and a carboxylic acid group.
Example Question #22 : Amino Acids And Proteins
Which of the following amino acids have polar, uncharged side chains?
Arginine and lysine
Cysteine and glycine
Serine and asparagine
Tyrosine and tryptophan
Alanine and valine
Serine and asparagine
Serine's R-chain contains a hydroxyl group , which is polar but uncharged, and cysteine's side chain contains a thiol (sulfhydryl) R-group which is also polar but uncharged. Each of the the other answers contain amino acids that have side groups with different functional properties, but only serine and cysteine can be classified as polar and uncharged.
Example Question #443 : Biochemistry
Which of the following is true about cyclic amino acids?
One of the properties of amino acid aromatic rings is the ability to absorb ultraviolet light
Phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine all have a non-aromatic cyclical structure
Proline has an aromatic ring on its chain
Humans must consume proline in their diet. That is because hydroxyproline, which is used in collagen synthesis, is fabricated from proline
One of the properties of amino acid aromatic rings is the ability to absorb ultraviolet light
Proline does not have an aromatic ring, and its ring is incorporated into its backbone. The human body is able to manufacture it, and hence it is not an essential amino acid which humans must consume. Hydroxyproline is, indeed, fabricated from proline, and is used in collagen synthesis. Phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine all have an aromatic cyclical structure. All aromatic rings of amino acids absorb ultraviolet light, including the imidazole ring of histidine, which absorbs in the lower UV range more than some amino acids.
Example Question #24 : Amino Acids And Proteins
Which of the following is true about amino acid synthesis?
None of these
Cysteine is a natural precursor of histidine
Aspartate is a natural precursor of arginine
Arginine is a natural precursor of glutamate
None of these
Glutamate, not aspartate, is a natural precursor of arginine (and not vice versa). The natural precursor for histidine is a ribose derivative, and cysteine can be produced from serine or via methionine degradation.
Example Question #443 : Biochemistry
The amino acid glycine is a neutral amino acid. Its alpha-carboxyl group has a pKa of 2.34 and its alpha-amino group has a pKa of 9.6. What is the pI of glycine?
For this question, we're provided with the pKa values of the alpha-carboxyl and alpha-amino groups of glycine. We're then asked to determine the pI value for glycine.
For any given amino acid, the pI value describes that amino acid's isoelectric point. This number represents the pH value where the amino acid will exist predominately as a zwitterion with a net charge of zero. For amino acids that don't have any ionizable R-groups, the pI value is simply the average of the pKa values of the alpha-amino and alpha-carboxyl groups.
For glycine, the pI value is:
Example Question #23 : Macromolecule Fundamentals
The pKa of the R-group found in glutamic acid is approximately 4.07. At what pH must a solution be in order for 75% of the glutamic acid side chain to be in the protonated form?
In this question, we are given information concerning the acidity of glutamic acid's side chain, which is equal to . We're then asked to determine what pH is necessary in order for to be in the acidic, protonated form.
For starters, we'll need to use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, which relates the pH of a solution to the pKa of an acid as well as to the relative amounts of the acidic and basic forms of the compound in question.
From the question stem, we're given the pKa. Moreover, we're told that the concentration of the acidic form of the R-group will be , or . Therefore, the concentration of the basic form of the R-group must be . Plugging these values into the above equation allows us to solve for pH.
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