The Amino Acid Residues in Proteins Are L Stereoisomers

Nearly all biological compounds with a chiral center occur naturally in only one stereoisomeric form, either D or L. The amino acid residues in protein molecules are exclusively L stereoisomers. D-Amino acid residues have been found only in a few, generally small peptides, including some peptides of bacterial cell walls and certain peptide antibiotics. It is remarkable that virtually all amino acid residues in proteins are L stereoisomers. When chiral compounds are formed by ordinary chemical reactions, the result is a racemic mixture of D and L isomers, which are difficult for a chemist to distinguish and separate. But to a living system, D and L isomers are as different as the right hand and the left. The formation of stable, repeating substructures in proteins  generally requires that their constituent amino acids be of one stereochemical series. Cells are able to specifically synthesize the L isomers of amino acids because the active sites of enzymes are asymmetric, causing the reactions they catalyze to be stereospecific.

مواضيع ذات صلة

تصنيف البروتينات classification of proteins

الدنترة (المسخ) Denaturation والتغيرات التي تطرأ على البروتين الممسوخ

التنظيمات البنائية التركيبية للبروتين

البروتينات proteints

الببتيدات Peptides

الأحماض الامينية غير البروتنيية

تصنيف الأحماض الامينية Classification of amino acids

الخصائص الحامضية - القاعدية للأحماض الامينية The acid-base properties of amino acids

الفعالية البصرية للأحماض الامينية Optical activity of amino acids

الأحماض الامينية

محلل الأحماض الأمينية التلقائي Automated amino acid analyzer

تقدير الوزن الجزيئي للبروتينات