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Citrulline
The organic compound citrulline is an α-amino acid. Its name is derived from '' citrullus'', the Latin word for watermelon. Although named and described by gastroenterologists since the late 19th century, it was first isolated from watermelon in 1914 by Japanese researchers Yatarō Koga (古賀彌太郎) and Ryō Ōtake (大嶽了) and further codified by Mitsunori Wada of Tokyo Imperial University in 1930. It has the formula H2NC(O)NH(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. It is a key intermediate in the urea cycle, the pathway by which mammals excrete ammonia by converting it into urea. Citrulline is also produced as a byproduct of the enzymatic production of nitric oxide from the amino acid arginine, catalyzed by nitric oxide synthase. Biosynthesis Citrulline can be derived from: * from arginine via nitric oxide synthase, as a byproduct of the production of nitric oxide for signaling purposes * from ornithine through the breakdown of proline or glutamine/glutamate * from asymmetric dimet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arginine
Arginine is the amino acid with the formula (H2N)(HN)CN(H)(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. The molecule features a guanidinium, guanidino group appended to a standard amino acid framework. At physiological pH, the carboxylic acid is deprotonated (−CO2−) and both the amino and guanidino groups are protonated, resulting in a cation. Only the -arginine (symbol Arg or R) enantiomer is found naturally. Arg residues are common components of proteins. It is Genetic code, encoded by the DNA codon table, codons CGU, CGC, CGA, CGG, AGA, and AGG. The guanidine group in arginine is the Precursor (chemistry), precursor for the biosynthesis of nitric oxide. Like all amino acids, it is a white, water-soluble solid. The one-letter symbol R was assigned to arginine for its phonetic similarity. History Arginine was first isolated in 1886 from Lupinus luteus, yellow lupin seedlings by the German chemist Ernst Schulze (chemist), Ernst Schulze and his assistant Ernst Steiger. He named it from the Greek ''árg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urea Cycle
The urea cycle (also known as the ornithine cycle) is a cycle of biochemical reactions that produces urea (NH2)2CO from ammonia (NH3). Animals that use this cycle, mainly amphibians and mammals, are called ureotelic. The urea cycle converts highly toxic ammonia to urea for excretion. This cycle was the first metabolic cycle to be discovered by Hans Krebs and Kurt Henseleit in 1932, five years before the discovery of the TCA cycle. The urea cycle was described in more detail later on by Ratner and Cohen. The urea cycle takes place primarily in the liver and, to a lesser extent, in the kidneys. Function Amino acid catabolism results in waste ammonia. All animals need a way to excrete this product. Most aquatic organisms, or ammonotelic organisms, excrete ammonia without converting it. Organisms that cannot easily and safely remove nitrogen as ammonia convert it to a less toxic substance, such as urea, via the urea cycle, which occurs mainly in the liver. Urea produced by the li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nitric Oxide Synthase
Nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) are a family of enzymes catalyzing the production of nitric oxide (NO) from L-arginine. NO is an important cellular signaling molecule. It helps modulate vascular tone, insulin secretion, airway tone, and peristalsis, and is involved in angiogenesis and neural development. It may function as a retrograde neurotransmitter. Nitric oxide is mediated in mammals by the calcium-calmodulin controlled isoenzymes eNOS (endothelial NOS) and nNOS (neuronal NOS). The inducible isoform, iNOS, involved in immune response, binds calmodulin at physiologically relevant concentrations, and produces NO as an immune defense mechanism, as NO is a free radical with an unpaired electron. It is the proximate cause of septic shock and may function in autoimmune disease. In the context of eukaryote biology, ''nitric oxide synthase'' refers to nitric-oxide synthase (NADPH) (), which catalyzes the reaction: * 2 L-arginine + 3 NADPH + 3 H+ + 4 O2 \rightleftharpoons 2 citrulli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornithine
Ornithine is a non-proteinogenic α-amino acid that plays a role in the urea cycle. It is not incorporated into proteins during translation. Ornithine is abnormally accumulated in the body in ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, a disorder of the urea cycle. The Moiety (chemistry), moiety derived from ornithine is called ornithyl. Role in urea cycle L-Ornithine is one of the products of the action of the enzyme arginase on L-arginine, creating urea. Therefore, ornithine is a central component of the urea cycle, which enables the disposal of excess nitrogen. Ornithine itself is recycled and, in a sense, acts as a catalyst. First, ammonia is converted into carbamoyl phosphate () by carbamoyl phosphate synthetase. Ornithine transcarbamylase then catalyzes the reaction between carbamoyl phosphate and ornithine to form citrulline and phosphate (Pi). Another amino group is contributed by aspartate, leading to the formation of arginine and the byproduct fumarate. The resulting arginine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amino Acid
Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 appear in the genetic code of life. Amino acids can be classified according to the locations of the core structural functional groups ( alpha- , beta- , gamma- amino acids, etc.); other categories relate to polarity, ionization, and side-chain group type ( aliphatic, acyclic, aromatic, polar, etc.). In the form of proteins, amino-acid '' residues'' form the second-largest component (water being the largest) of human muscles and other tissues. Beyond their role as residues in proteins, amino acids participate in a number of processes such as neurotransmitter transport and biosynthesis. It is thought that they played a key role in enabling life on Earth and its emergence. Amino acids are formally named by the IUPAC- IUBMB Joint Commi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Watermelon
The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding, widely cultivated worldwide, with more than 1,000 variety (botany), varieties. Watermelons are grown in favorable climates from tropics, tropical to temperate climate, temperate regions worldwide for its large edible fruit, which is a Berry (botany), berry with a hard rind and no internal divisions, and is botany, botanically called a Glossary of botanical terms#pepo, ''pepo''. The sweet, juicy flesh is usually deep red to pink, with many black seeds, although seedless fruit, seedless varieties exist. The fruit can be eaten raw or pickled, and the rind is edible after cooking. It may also be consumed as a juice or an ingredient in mixed beverages. Kordofan melons from Sudan are the closest relatives and may be progenitors of modern, cul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
N-Acetylglutamic Acid
''N''-Acetylglutamic acid (also referred to as ''N''-acetylglutamate, abbreviated NAG, chemical formula C7H11NO5) is biosynthesized from glutamate and acetylornithine by ornithine acetyltransferase, and from glutamic acid and acetyl-CoA by the enzyme ''N''-acetylglutamate synthase. The reverse reaction, hydrolysis of the acetyl group, is catalyzed by a specific hydrolase. It is the first intermediate involved in the biosynthesis of arginine in prokaryotes and simple eukaryotes and a regulator in the process known as the urea cycle that converts toxic ammonia to urea for excretion from the body in vertebrates. Discovery ''N''-Acetylglutamic acid is an extracellular metabolite isolated from the prokaryote Rhizobium trifolii that was characterized using many structure determination techniques such as proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In ''Rhizobium'', extracellular build- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TCHH
Trichohyalin is a protein that in mammals is encoded by the ''TCHH'' gene. Discovery In 1903 the name ''trichohyalin'' was assigned to the granules of the inner root sheath (IRS) of hair follicles discovered by Hans Vörner. In 1986 the name was reassigned to a protein isolated from sheep wool follicles. Gene location The human TCHH is located on the long (q) arm of chromosome 1 at region 2 band 1 sub-band 3 (1q21.3), from base pair 152,105,403 to base pair 152,116,368map. This region in chromosome 1q21 is known as the epidermal differentiation complex, since it harbors over fifty other genes involved in keratinocyte differentiation. Gene coding sequence contains 5829 nucleotides. Gene orthologs were identified in most mammals including mice, chickens, rats, pigs, sheep, horses and other species. Protein localisation Trichohyalin is highly expressed in the inner root sheath cells of the hair follicle and Medulla (hair), medulla. It was also detected in the Granular layer of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carbamoyl Phosphate
Carbamoyl phosphate is an anion of biochemical significance. In land-dwelling animals, it is an intermediary metabolite in nitrogen disposal through the urea cycle and the synthesis of pyrimidines. Its enzymatic counterpart, carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I (CPS I), interacts with a class of molecules called sirtuins, NAD dependent protein deacetylases, and ATP to form carbamoyl phosphate. CP then enters the urea cycle in which it reacts with ornithine (a process catalyzed by the enzyme ornithine transcarbamylase) to form citrulline. Classification Carbamoyl phosphate is a metabolic intermediate in a pathway that involves nitrogen disposal through the urea cycle and the biosynthesis of pyrimidines. Production It is produced from bicarbonate, ammonia (derived from amino acids), and phosphate (from ATP). The synthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme carbamoyl phosphate synthetase. This uses three reactions as follows: * + ATP → ADP + (carboxyl phosphate) * + NH3 + OH− ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Messenger System
Second messengers are intracellular signaling molecules released by the cell in response to exposure to extracellular signaling molecules—the first messengers. (Intercellular signals, a non-local form of cell signaling, encompassing both first messengers and second messengers, are classified as autocrine signaling, autocrine, juxtacrine signalling, juxtacrine, paracrine signaling, paracrine, and endocrine system, endocrine depending on the range of the signal.) Second messengers trigger physiological changes at cellular level such as Cell proliferation, proliferation, cellular differentiation, differentiation, migration, survival, apoptosis and depolarization. They are one of the triggers of intracellular signal transduction cascades. Examples of second messenger molecules include cyclic adenosine monophosphate, cyclic AMP, cyclic guanosine monophosphate, cyclic GMP, inositol triphosphate, diacylglycerol, and calcium. First messengers are extracellular factors, often hormones or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
N-Acetylaspartic Acid
''N''-Acetylaspartic acid, or ''N''-acetylaspartate (NAA), is a derivative of aspartic acid with a formula of C6H9NO5 and a molecular weight of 175.139. NAA is the second-most-concentrated molecule in the brain after the amino acid glutamate. It is detected in the adult brain in neurons, oligodendrocytes and myelin and is synthesized in the Mitochondrion, mitochondria from the amino acid aspartic acid and Acetyl-CoA, acetyl-coenzyme A. Function The various functions served by NAA are under investigation, but the primary proposed functions include: * Neuronal osmolyte that is involved in fluid balance in the brain * Source of acetate for lipid and myelin synthesis in oligodendrocytes, the Neuroglia, glial cells that myelinate neuronal axons * Precursor for the synthesis of the neuronal dipeptide N-Acetylaspartylglutamate * Contributor to energy production from the amino acid glutamate in neuronal mitochondria. In the brain, NAA was thought to be present predominantly in neu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
