- Enzyme: Glutamate dehydrogenase
- 1. Oxidation (NAD+ or NADP+) of glutamate to yield Schiff-base intermediate
- 2. Hydrolysis deamination of intermediate to make alpha-ketoglutarate
- Glutamate -> alpha-ketoglutarate and ammonium
- Mitochondrial enzyme: NH4+ is toxic
> Reactions close to equilibrium

> Usually pulled forward by loss of NH4+


Michigan State University

Amino acids make up every protein. There are 20 total amino acids each with a unique side-chain group. Some additional amino acids are listed, but only 20 are coded from DNA directly. These side-chains allow for chemical interactions like sulfide bonds, hydrogen bonds, and ionic bonds. Amino acids are further divided by being non-polar, polar, and charged. They link together with a peptide bond making a string of amino acids a polypeptide. Finally, each amino acids is assigned a name, a three-letter symbol and a one-letter symbol. 


Amino Acids are involved in many systems and issues with its breakdown can cause diseases: 
- In the liver: major site of urea production in the urea cycle
- Alpha-keto acids can deliver amino groups to the liver 
- Ammonium is toxic: lethargy, headache, vomiting, seizures, death
- Seen in compromised liver


Amino Acids

Oxidative deamination of amino acids to yield glutamate in liver

- 1st amino group from ammonium, second amino group from aspartate, carbon comes from bicarbonate
- ** Fumarate is formed from the breakdown of argininosuccinate in the urea cycle, and links the urea cycle with the TCA cycle
- First reactions occur in the mitochondrial matrix

OVERVIEW
- Carbamoyl Phosphate synthesis
- Formation of Citrulline (in mitochondrial matrix)
- Formation of Argininosuccinate (cytoplasm)
- Formation of Fumarate
- Cleavage

- Eventually converted to OAA, cycle can start again


Urea Cycle

- Phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Alkaptonuria
- Maple-Syrup urine disease

Inborn Errors of Amino Acid Catabolism

Protein structure is the 3-dimensional assembly caused by the string of amino acids translated from RNA . Protein structures varies immensely due to the assembly of the amino acids.
There are four subdivisions of proteins structures:
- Primary structure
- Secondary structure
- Tertiary structure 
- Quaternary structure 

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