oxaloacetic acid

Thân thiện

A student draws the chemical structure of oxaloacetic acid on a whiteboard.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A dicarboxylic acid important in metabolism: Oxaloacetic acid is a four-carbon organic acid that plays a critical role in metabolic cycles within living cells, particularly in the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) and gluconeogenesis. It is formed by the oxidation of maleic acid or other metabolic precursors.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Oxaloacetic acid is a key intermediate in the citric acid cycle.
  • The enzyme catalyzes the conversion of aspartate to oxaloacetic acid.
  • Levels of oxaloacetic acid can influence the rate of gluconeogenesis.

Advanced Usage

• Biochemical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in biochemistry and cellular biology. It is often abbreviated as OAA in scientific literature and diagrams.
  • The malate-aspartate shuttle regenerates oxaloacetic acid in the mitochondrial matrix.

Variants and Related Words

• Oxaloacetate (n): The anionic form of oxaloacetic acid, commonly used interchangeably in biochemical contexts to refer to the compound participating in enzymatic reactions.
  • Oxaloacetate is reduced to malate by malate dehydrogenase.

Synonyms

• Oxaloacetate: (When referring to the anion or the compound in general metabolic pathways).
• 2-Oxobutanedioic acid: (A systematic IUPAC name).

Related Phrases/Concepts

• Krebs cycle / Citric Acid Cycle: The central metabolic pathway where oxaloacetic acid condenses with acetyl-CoA to form citrate.
• Gluconeogenesis: The metabolic pathway for glucose synthesis, in which oxaloacetic acid is a precursor.
• Aspartate aminotransferase: An enzyme that interconverts aspartate and oxaloacetic acid.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an acid formed by oxidation of maleic acid (as in metabolism of fats and carbohydrates)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• oxalacetic acid