#formylmethionine

[gillianthecat]

This is of interest to (or rather, comprehensible to) between zero and two of my followers, but my professor was talking about the name of the first amino acid in a prokaryotic polypeptide, and I heard "formal methionine" and so I was like. Picturing a little amino acid in a tux.

Anyway, apparently it's formylmethionine. With a y.

[moleculardepot]

pan-Formylmethionine Antibody

pan-Formylmethionine Antibody Catalog number: B2015730 Lot number: Batch Dependent Expiration Date: Batch dependent Amount: 50 μg Molecular Weight or Concentration: N/A Supplied as: Solution Applications: a molecular tool for various biochemical applications Storage: -20 °C Keywords: pan-Formylmethionine Antibody Grade: Biotechnology grade. All products are highly pure. All solutions are made…

[dahniwitchoflight]

So I’ve been reading about a lot of chemistry lately, particular the stuff in this screenshot here about amino acids (the things that DNA encodes into cells and stuff which go on to code the proteins, very important basic building blocks of life)

which says: “ Twenty of the proteinogenic amino acids are encoded directly by triplet codons in the genetic code and are known as "standard" amino acids. The other two ("non-standard" or "non-canonical") are selenocysteine (present in many prokaryotes as well as most eukaryotes, but not coded directly by DNA), and pyrrolysine (found only in some archaea and one bacterium). Pyrrolysine and selenocysteine are encoded via variant codons; for example, selenocysteine is encoded by stop codon and SECIS element.[12][13][14]N-formylmethionine (which is often the initial amino acid of proteins in bacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts) is generally considered as a form of methionine rather than as a separate proteinogenic amino acid. Codon–tRNA combinations not found in nature can also be used to "expand" the genetic code and form novel proteins known as alloproteins incorporating non-proteinogenic amino acids.[15][16][17]”

blah blah science talk yes but, listen, the important takeaway here is that there are 20+2 naturally occurring “essential to all life” amino acid building blocks

so OBVIOUSLY I wanna make a major arcana out of them, with those extra 2 being The Fool and the World, that Seleno-blah one being encoded as basically a telegram “STOP” code making huge sense for The World in particular as the end card

Ok turns out how Selene and Pyrro work here is that normally the dna code thats like “alright take her down boys, stop the amino acid building” instead can be read differently as either “Oh shit, were making the pyrrolysine amino” or “oh shit, were making the selenocysteine amino” so theyre both technically evolved form stop codons so either could work as World/Fool

and this is the point where I realize I might actually have an obsession with making tarot decks

but anyway Im about the spend the next few days deciding which amino acid are like Justice and Strength and shit from whatever chemistry knowledge I can glean from wikipedia and youtube

also: “ Humans can synthesize 12 of these from each other or from other molecules of intermediary metabolism. The other 9 must be consumed (usually as their protein derivatives), and so they are called essential amino acids. The essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine (i.e. H, I, L, K, M, F, T, W, V).”

The Numbers, they are just, Beautiful. 12+9+1

[totallabsupplies]

A guide to the twenty common amino acids http://ift.tt/2qGQtCx

Have you ever thought about what makes up your body? Only 20 amino acids! Take a look at the graphic below, to discover the structure of each of these, plus information on the notation used to represent them.

Source: Compound Interest. Click to enlarge.

Amino acids are organic compounds containing amine (-NH2) and carboxyl (-COOH) functional groups, along with a side chain (R group) specific to each amino acid. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, although other elements are found in the side chains of certain amino acids. About 500 amino acids are known and can be classified in many ways. They can be classified according to the core structural functional groups' locations as alpha- (α-), beta- (β-), gamma- (γ-) or delta- (δ-) amino acids; other categories relate to polarity, pH level, and side chain group type (aliphatic, acyclic, aromatic, containing hydroxyl or sulfur, etc.). In the form of proteins, amino acid residues form the second-largest component (water is the largest) of human muscles and other tissues. Beyond their role as residues in proteins, amino acids participate in a number of processes such as neurotransmitter transport and biosynthesis.

In biochemistry, amino acids having both the amine and the carboxylic acid groups attached to the first (alpha-) carbon atom have particular importance. They are known as 2-, alpha-, or α-amino acids (generic formula H2NCHRCOOH in most cases, where R is an organic substituent known as a "side chain"); often the term "amino acid" is used to refer specifically to these. They include the 22 proteinogenic ("protein-building") amino acids, which combine into peptide chains ("polypeptides") to form the building-blocks of a vast array of proteins. These are all L-stereoisomers ("left-handed" isomers), although a few D-amino acids ("right-handed") occur in bacterial envelopes, as a neuromodulator (D-serine), and in some antibiotics.  Twenty of the proteinogenic amino acids are encoded directly by triplet codons in the genetic code and are known as "standard" amino acids. The other two ("non-standard" or "non-canonical") are selenocysteine (present in many noneukaryotes as well as most eukaryotes, but not coded directly by DNA), and pyrrolysine (found only in some archea and one bacterium). Pyrrolysine and selenocysteine are encoded via variant codons; for example, selenocysteine is encoded by stop codon and SECIS element. N-formylmethionine (which is often the initial amino acid of proteins in bacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts) is generally considered as a form of methionine rather than as a separate proteinogenic amino acid. Codon–tRNA combinations not found in nature can also be used to "expand" the genetic code and create novel proteins known as alloproteins incorporating non-proteinogenic amino acids.

Many important proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic amino acids have biological functions. For example, in the human brain, glutamate (standard glutamic acid) and gamma-amino-butyric acid ("GABA", non-standard gamma-amino acid) are, respectively, the main excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. Hydroxyproline, a major component of the connective tissue collagen, is synthesised from proline. Glycine is a biosynthetic precursor to porphyrins used in red blood cells. Carnitine is used in lipid transport.

Nine proteinogenic amino acids are called "essential" for humans because they cannot be created from other compounds by the human body and so must be taken in as food. Others may be conditionally essential for certain ages or medical conditions. Essential amino acids may also differ between species.

Because of their biological significance, amino acids are important in nutrition and are commonly used in nutritional supplements, fertilizers, and food technology. Industrial uses include the production of drugs, biodegradable plastics, and chiral catalysts.

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