Everything about Aspartic Acid totally explained
Aspartic acid (abbreviated as
Asp or
D;
Asx or
B represent either aspartic acid or
asparagine) is an α-
amino acid with the
chemical formula HO
2CCH(NH
2)CH
2CO
2H. The
carboxylate anion of aspartic acid is known as
aspartate. The L-isomer of aspartate is one of the 20
proteinogenic amino acids, for example, the building blocks of
proteins. Its
codons are GAU and GAC.
Aspartic acid is, together with
glutamic acid, classified as an acidic amino acid with a
pKa of 4.0. Aspartic acid is pervasive in biosynthesis. As with all amino acids, the location of acid protons depends on the pH of the solution and the crystallization conditions.
Role in biosynthesis of amino acids
Aspartic acid is non-essential in
mammals, being produced from
oxaloacetate by
transamination. In plants and microorganisms, aspartic acid is the precursor to several amino acids, including four that are essential:
methionine,
threonine,
isoleucine, and
lysine. The conversion of aspartic acid to these other amino acids begins with reduction of aspartic acid to its "semialdehyde," HO
2CCH(NH
2)CH
2CHO.
Asparagine is derived from aspartic acid via transamidation:
» HO
2CCH(NH
2)CH
2CO
2H +
GC(O)NH
2 HO
2CCH(NH
2)CH
2CONH
2 +
GC(O)OH
(where
GC(O)NH
2 and
GC(O)OH are
glutamine and
glutamic acid, respectively)
Other biochemical roles
Aspartic acid is also a
metabolite in the
urea cycle and participates in
gluconeogenesis. It carries reducing equivalents in the
malate-aspartate shuttle, which utilizes the ready interconversion of aspartate and oxaloacetate, which is the oxidized (dehydrogenated) derivative of malic acid. Aspartic acid donates one nitrogen atom in the biosynthesis of
inositol, the precursor to the
purine bases.
Neurotransmitter
Aspartate (the
conjugate base of aspartic acid) stimulates
NMDA receptors, though not as strongly as the amino acid neurotransmitter
glutamate does. It serves as an excitatory
neurotransmitter in the brain and is an
excitotoxin.
As a neurotransmitter, aspartic acid may provide resistance to fatigue, and, thus, leads to endurance, although the evidence to support this idea isn't strong.
Sources
Dietary Sources
Aspartic acid isn't an
essential amino acid, which means that it can be synthesized from central metabolic pathway intermediates in humans. Aspartic acid is found in:
- Animal sources: luncheon meats, sausage meat, wild game
- Vegetable sources: sprouting seeds, oat flakes, avocado, asparagus.
Chemical Synthesis
Racemic aspartic acid can be synthesized from diethyl sodium phthalimidomalonate, (C
6H
4(CO)
2NC(CO
2Et)
2).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Aspartic Acid'.
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