amino acid

[AntonioLao]

There are eleven (out of twenty three) essential amino acids that must be present in the diet of healthy animals. These are alphabetically listed as: (1) arginine (2) histidine (3) isoleucine (4) leucine (5) lysine (6) methionine (7) phenylalanine ( threonine (9) tryptophan (10) tyrosine and (11) valine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. They all contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes even sulfur. But none contains any of the metallic compounds.
Amino acids form a group of water-soluble organic compounds that possess both a carboxyl (-COOH) and an amino (-NH2) molecule attached to the a–carbon atom. Their general representative formula is R-CH(NH2)COOH where R may be hydrogen or another organic group. When they are linked by peptide bonds, the results are long and short chains molecules forming complex proteins.
One of the great unsolved mysteries of life is why plants and many microorganisms can synthesize amino acids from simple inorganic compounds. On the other hand, the animal kingdom cannot but in order to live out healthy lives relies on adequate supplies of amino acids in their daily diet.

[mkirkpatrick]

Detailed stuff Antonio,well researched,thanks for your effort,what is the real mystery
here?Building blocks of life? Where is the animator of inorganic to organic.



regards michael.

[AntonioLao]

what is the real mystery here?

The mystery is why we cannot make amino acids directly from inorganic compounds but plants and some microorganisms could.