Definition

Noun: * An amino acid: A crystalline, acidic amino acid that is a constituent of most proteins. It is not essential in the human diet as the body can synthesize it. It occurs naturally in some plants, such as sugar beets and sugar cane, and plays a role in the urea cycle and DNA metabolism.

Usage and Examples

• As a biochemical compound:

  • Aspartic acid is one of the 20 common amino acids encoded by DNA.
  • The enzyme catalyzes the conversion of aspartic acid to another compound.
  • This protein has a high concentration of aspartic acid residues.

• In a nutritional or natural context:

  • Aspartic acid is found naturally in sugar cane.
  • While not an essential amino acid, aspartic acid is important for nervous system health.

Advanced Usage

• In biochemistry: Often discussed in its ionic forms (aspartate) within metabolic pathways like the citric acid cycle and the malate-aspartate shuttle.
  • Aspartic acid is deaminated to form oxaloacetate in the liver.
• D- and L- forms: The "L-" form (L-aspartic acid) is the one incorporated into proteins. The "D-" form is less common in nature but has specific biological roles.
  • Only L-aspartic acid is used in protein synthesis.

Variants and Related Words

• Aspartate (noun): The anionic (negatively charged) form of aspartic acid, commonly referred to in biochemistry when discussing its role in cellular metabolism and ionic states.
  • Potassium and magnesium aspartate are sometimes used as dietary supplements.
• Asparagine (noun): Another amino acid; it is derived from aspartic acid.
• Aspartyl- (prefix): Used in biochemical terminology to denote the presence of an aspartic acid residue, e.g., an aspartyl protease.

Synonyms

• Aminosuccinic acid (scientific synonym, rarely used in common contexts).
• Aspartate (when referring to the anionic form in biochemical contexts).

Related Phrases and Compounds

• Aspartic acid residue: Refers to a single unit of aspartic acid within a protein chain.
  • The active site contains a critical aspartic acid residue.
• Polyaspartic acid: A polymer of aspartic acid, studied for industrial and medical applications.
• N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA): A specific synthetic form that acts as a potent agonist for the NMDA receptor in the brain, crucial in neuroscience research.

Noun

1. a crystalline amino acid found in proteins and occurring naturally in sugar beets and sugar cane