Biochemical Application of Monosodium Glutamate MSG

Biochemical application of monosodium glutamate MSG MSG is a glutamic acid derivative, used as a flavor enhancer in Asian food. Chinese restaurant syndrome is a set of symptoms (chills, headaches and dizziness) that some people have after eating Chinese food where MSG is used a lot. Questions on amino acids: 1) What is specific about proline? Proline is an imino acid unique in that it contains a secondary nitrogen in its backbone resulted from the bonding of the amino group to the R group, thus it is a secondary amine rather than a primary amine like in other amino acids. 2) Which amino acids are found charged at physiological conditions? 5 amino acids have a side chain which can be charged at physiological conditions. 2 are negatively charged: aspartic acid and glutamic acid (acidic side chains), and 3 are positively charged: lysine, arginine and histidine (basic side chains). 3) Name amino acids that share the same functional group in their side chain. Glutamine and Asparagine → Share the amide group. Serine, Threonine and Tyrosine → Share the hydroxyl group. Amino acid and protein molecular weight The average molecular weight of an amino acid residue is about 110. The molecular weights of most proteins are between 5,500 and 220,000. We refer to the mass of a polypeptide in the unit of Daltons (Da) or kilo Daltons (kDa). ➔ A 10,000 MW protein has a mass of 10,000 Da / 10 kDa. Amino acids stereoisomers / optical isomers Because the alpha carbon has 4 different groups, amino acids can exist as stereoisomers in proteins (except glycine since its alpha carbon is attached to 2 H atoms). The molecules are mirror image to each other and cannot be superimposed, they rotate polarized light in opposite directions. (Right D- dexter, Left L-laevus) Both isomers (D-, L-) are found in nature however, all amino acids in proteins have L- configuration. D- Amino acids are found in bacteria cell walls and in some antibiotics. Remember: we have D-sugars in our bodies. Ionization of amino acids The main structure of amino acid contains a carboxyl group and an amino group, these 2 groups can be ionized. Note that ionization is the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or a positive charge. Therefore: COO- → COOH Protonation of the carboxyl group neutral Protonation of the amino group ionized NH2 → NH3+ De-protonated carboxyl group ionized COO- De-protonated amino group neutral NH2 Zwitterion: is a molecule that is charged but the total net charge is zero. At physiological pH, amino acids (without acidic/basic groups) are electrically neutral. Isoelectric point (pI): is the specific pH when the molecule has a total net charge of zero (Zwitterion). Any molecule with equal opposite charges becomes a zwitterion at the isoelectric point. At a very low pH "abundant amount of H" : At a very High pH "low amount of H" : Carboxyl group is protonated -COOH → uncharged Carboxyl group is de-protonated –COO- → charged Amino group is protonated -NH3+ → charged Amino group is de-protonated –NH2 → uncharged Net charge of the amino acid= +1 Net charge of the amino acid= -1 pH << pKa → Protonated groups are abundant pH >> pKa → Deprotonated groups are abundant Note the following curve and the numbered structures: • At very low pH all the amino acids will be 1 . 3 • As the pH increases, the carboxyl group will start losing its proton. 1 3 Decreases while 2 1 Decreases while 2 3 increases. 3 2 starts appearing. • At physiological pH, all amino acids will be in their zwitterionic form 2 . • At high1pH the amino group will start losing its proton. • At very high pH all the amino acids will be 1 3 2 1 . 2 1 Point 1 3 2 Point 2 Point 1: It is the pKa of the carboxyl group, when half of the amino acids carboxyl group is de-protonated and charged while the other half is protonated and uncharged. Point 2: It is the pKa of the amino group, when half of the amino acids amino group is protonated and charged while the other half is de-protonated and uncharged. Amino acids as buffers Amino acids contain a –COOH group which acts as a weak acid, and a –NH2 group which acts as a weak base, hence amino acids acting as buffers. • The curve is not shown as a one large step because of the different pKa values of these 2 groups. • -COOH undergoes titration before –NH2 because –COOH is a stronger acid compared to –NH2. Amino acids have a minimum of 2 buffering capacities: 1) For the carboxyl group at low pH. 2) For the amino group at high pH. 3) For the R group if it's ionizable. Check this titration curve of alanine (its R group is not ionizable). In this example, OH is added to the amino acid, therefore deprotonation will be taking place: This midpoint "where pH=pKa" is the pKa of the amino group ≈9 This midpoint "where pH=pKa" is the pKa of the carboxyl group ≈2 1) As the pH increases (H atoms decrease), the carboxyl group loses a proton thus resisting the change in pH acting as a buffer which is the 1st plateau in the graph. 2) When we reach the end of the 1st buffering capacity, a slight addition of OH causes a sharp increase in the pH, which stops after reaching the 2nd buffering capacity of the amine group. 3) The amino group of the zwitterion loses a proton thus resisting the change in pH acting as a buffer again which is the 2nd plateau in the graph. Any further addition of OH will increase the pH sharply with no more buffer zones. The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation can be used to calculate and predict the ratio of base to acid. Example: which form of amino acid is dominant at a pH of 8 "using the graph before"? From the graph we can tell that both the zwitterion "acid" and the anion "conjugate base" exist at the pH of 8. The deprotonation of NH3 is involved so its pKa, which equals 9, is used. Thus, from the equation the base to acid ratio will be -1 → The Acid is more abundant than the base (10 folds) → Zwitterion is more abundant at the pH of 8. Note that in both cases we didn’t care about the carboxyl group because its 100% in its deprotonated (charged form) Isoelectric Point (pI) The pH where the net charge of molecules such as an amino acid or protein is zero is known as the Isoelectric Point. • The isoelectric point for polar and non-polar amino acids with 2 pKa values can be calculated using this equation: • From the alanine graph above we can see that the pI value is the average between both pKa1 and pKa2, which almost equals using the equation above: 𝟐+𝟗 𝒑𝑰 = = 𝟓. 𝟓 𝟐 • We can also deduce the pI from the graph, it's in equal distances away from both the pKa values. Amino Acids with more than 2 pKa values Some amino acids "9 in total" have ionizable R group, therefore there are 3 different pKa values (The R groups' pKa will be referred to as pKR ). Such as: tyrosine, cysteine, arginine, lysine, histidine, serine, threonine, and aspartic and glutamic acids. The pI will be calculated in a different method by taking the average of the pKa values of the amino acids forms that have the opposite charges (So that the net charge is 0). Considering pKa for –NH2 =9 and the pKa for –COOH =2 in all amino acids. Example 1: Glutamic Acid Glutamic acid has a carboxyl group, which is ionizable, in its side chain. 1 2 3 2 4 As the pH increases the following happens: 1) The backbone carboxyl group will be deprotonated. At a pH of 2, half of the amino acid will be of the fully protonated form and the other half will be a zwitterion. 2) Then the carboxyl group of the R group will be deprotonated. A pH of 4 will be its midpoint. So, the pKR = 4. 3) At a high pH, the amino group will be deprotonated. Giving the fully deprotonated form of glutamic acid. 4) To calculate the isoelectric point, we must take pKa values of 2 amino acids where their net charges =0. So, we calculate the total charge of each form and pick 2 forms that have equal and opposite charges (form 1 and 3 ) (pKR and pK1). 2 1 𝒑𝑰 = 𝟐+𝟒 =𝟑 𝟐 In other words, we take the average of the pKa values around the zwitterion form. This is not the same method mentioned by the doctor. Example 2: Histidine Histidine has an amine group in its ring, so it has a basic ionizable R group. Thus, as you increase the pH the following happens: 1) The carboxyl group loses a proton. (pKa1 = 2) 2) The amine group in the R group loses a proton. (pKa2 = 6) 3) The original amine group loses a proton. (pKa3 = 9) Note how the amino acid in the R group is a stronger acid compared to the original amino acid. 4) Calculating the pI by taking pKa2 and pKa3 (pKa values around the zwitterion): 𝒑𝑰 = 𝟔+𝟗 = 𝟕. 𝟓 𝟐 So for now what we are reqiured to know is: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) Understanding any titration curves given . Determing which for is predominat at a certain pH. Calculating the isoelectric point of different amino acids. Names of amino acids, their special features and their 3 letter abbrevietion. Identifying different aminno acids structures. The uncommon amino acids, their precursor and their functions. The R groups wether they are acidic, basic or near neutral. Questions: 1) Draw the titration curve of histidine. Using the pKa values: pKa1= 1.82 , pKr= 6 and pKa2= 9.17 Keeping in mind that the buffering capacity= pKa ± 1 2) What is the ratio of conjugate base to acid of glutamate at pH= 4.5. 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝑯 = 𝒑𝑲𝒂 + 𝒍𝒐𝒈 𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒅 𝟒. 𝟓 = 𝟒. 𝟐𝟓 + 𝒍𝒐𝒈 ➔ 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒅 Base to acid ratio = 1.78 3) What is the total charge of lysine at pH= 7 In amino acids the pI is defined as the pH at which the amino acid has no net charge. Therefore, when pH> pI, an amino acid has a negative net charge and when pH< pI, an amino acid has a positive net charge. In this question, pH= 7 and pI= 9.74 ➔ Total charge of lysine is +1 Note that we used the pka value that is in range of the pH. Since pH is 4.5, the pka must be between 3.5 and 5,5 Peptides Important definitions: • Residue: a subunit that is part of a larger molecule (such as glucose in glycogen, amino acid in a polypeptide). We use the prefix (Di,Tri,Tetra…) to designate the number of aminoacids linked together (Dipeptide, Tripeptide, Tetrapeptide…) • Oligopeptide: a short sequence of amino acids connected to each other (short chain of 20-30 amino acids). • Polypeptide: a longer peptide with no particular structure. • Protein: a polypeptide chain with an organized 3D structure and a specific function (usually more than 100 residues). The average molecular weight of an amino acid= 110 Daltons Example 1: a protein has a MW = 5500, how many amino acid residues does it contain? 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔′ 𝑴𝑾 𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒔 = 𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒅 𝑴𝑾 𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒔 = 𝟓𝟓𝟎𝟎 = 𝟓𝟎 𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝟏𝟏𝟎 Example 2: a protein composed of 100 amino acid, what is the MW of this protein? 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔′ 𝑴𝑾 = 𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒅 𝑴𝑾 ∗ 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔′ 𝑴𝑾 = 𝟏𝟏𝟎 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝟏𝟏 𝒌𝑫𝒂 Peptide Bond The linkage between two amino acids (between the alpha carboxyl group and the amine group of another amino acid) as a result of a condensation reaction where a H2O molecule is eliminated, is known as the Peptide bond. Also known chemically as an amide bond. Features of the peptide bond • It is a zigzag structure • It has a double bond resonance making the peptide bond: rigid, planar and charged. Resonance of this double bond is found because the double bond between the C and O moves to the peptide linkage of C and N. • Hydrogen Bonds are formed between amino acids. (Oxygen of the carbonyl group is the H bond acceptor and the H atom of the amino group is the H bond donor). Except proline, due to its cyclic structure the Nitrogen has only 1 H atom which is used in forming the peptide bond. So, proline can't be a hydrogen bond donor, however it can be a hydrogen bond acceptor. Question: the protein has to be flexible in order to take different forms, but the peptide bond is rigid (due to the resonance hybrid, it cannot be rotated), how does the protein make its structure possible? The peptide bond itself is rigid and can’t be rotated, but the bonds within the amino acid itself (phi and psi) are flexible and can be rotated, therefore the protein can be folded into its 3D structure. Note that the phi is the bond between the alpha carbon and the amino nitrogen while the psi is the bond between the alpha carbon and the carboxyl carbon, both are flexible unlike the peptide bond. The Peptide Chain • The backbone of a peptide chain consists of: 1) α-amide nitrogen 2) α-carbon 3) α-carbonyl carbon atom • The R groups in the peptide chain are branched, orientated toward the outside and in a trans configuration. (Which provides less steric hindrance between the functional groups attached to the alpha carbon, the steric hindrance would be greater if it was in a cis configuration). • Except in proline, where both cis and trans conformations have equivalent energies (repulsion will occur anyway). Thus, proline is found in the cis configuration more frequently than other amino acids. • The peptide chain starts with the N- terminus and ends with the C- terminus. The amino acids are added to the C- terminus (Cterminus can be modified while the N- terminus can't be modified). • The polarity of the peptide backbone is due to the N- terminus (positive end) and the C- terminus (negative end). Examples of functional and exceptional peptides • Carnosine • Glutathione • Enkephalins • Oxytocin and vasopressin(ADH) • Gramicidin S and Tyrocidine A • Aspartame 1) Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) It is a dipeptide constructed of two amino acids (β-alanine and L-histidine). The amine group is bonded to the β carbon of alanine. The difference between β-alanine and α-alanine is that the amine group is linked with the α -carbon in α-alanine. Functions: • Protection of the cells from ROS (radical oxygen species) and peroxides. • Contraction of muscles. It is highly concentrated in muscle and brain tissues. 2) Glutathione (γ-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine) It is a tripeptide, made up of 3 amino acids (γ-Glutamate-L-cysteine-Glycine) Note that it is a γ-glutamyl amino acid because γ -carboxyl group of the glutamic acid is involved in the peptide bond with the amine group of cysteine, which is bonded to the amine group of glycine. Function: • Glutathione has a major role as it functions as an anti-oxidant. It removes oxidizing agents like reactive oxygen species. How does Glutathione work as an anti-oxidant? Two molecules of the reduced glutathione molecules form the oxidized form of glutathione by forming a disulfide bond between the –SH groups of the two cysteine residues (two reduced molecules, linked by a disulfide bond = 1 oxidized molecule). So, what happened is that the 2 glutathione molecules donated their extra electrons in their thiol group to the reactive oxygen species. Thus, protecting other structures from them. Note that there are some enzymes that regenerate glutathione from its oxidized form making it functional again. 3) Enkephalins They are penta-peptides which functions as a pain reliever (analgesic). Two types of Enkephalin are found in the brain, they only differ in their Cterminal amino acids: Met-enkephalin: Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met Leu-enkephalin: Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu The aromatic side chains of tyrosine and phenylalanine play a role in their activities. Enkephalin and morphine There are similarities between the 3D structures of opiates (which are drugs derived from opium) such as morphine and enkephalin. Morphine is an addictive pain reliever that is wildly used in hospitals. Due to the similar 3D shape of it to that of the enkephalin, it binds to the same receptors that enkephalin binds to. 4) Oxytocin and Vasopressin • They are hormones with a cyclic structure due to the (S-S link) between Cys amino acids of the same peptide. • Both have a modification of an amide group at the C-terminus. • Both are nona-peptides (made up of 9 amino acids). Name of the Hormone The different amino acids Oxytocin 8Leucine, 3Isoleucine Vasopressin 8Arginine, (ADH) 3Phenylalanine Functions 1) Regulates the contraction of the uterine muscles when delivering the baby (labor contraction) 2) It is present in males and have a pleasant feeling 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Regulates the contraction of smooth muscle Increases water retention Increases blood pressure Renal function Maintain salt concentration Question: what is the primary structure of the figure below? Arginine Phenylalanine Try to spot the special groups, here we can see arginine and phenylalanine → Is it oxytocin or vasopressin? 5) Gramicidin S & Tyrocidine A They are cyclic deca-peptides (made up of 10 amino acids). Produced by: Bacterium Bacillus brevis and acts as an antibiotic. Features: Both contain D-and L-amino acids. Both contain the amino acid ornithine (Orn). Ornithine doesn’t occur in proteins. The 20 amino acids that we studied are the only ones that occur in protein synthesis. 6) Aspartame (L-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine / methyl ester) • It is a dipeptide (L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine). • The carboxyl end of phenylphthaline is modified by a methyl group. • It is 200 times sweeter than sugar (used as a sweetener.) • If the D-amino acid is substituted for either one of the amino acid or for both of them, the resulting derivative is bitter rather than sweet. Phenylketonuria (PKU) PKU is a hereditary inborn error of metabolism, caused by defection of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. It causes accumulation of phenyl-pyruvate, which causes mental retardation. → Sources of phenylalanine such as aspartame and milk must be limited, and as a substitution of aspartame, alatame is used which contains alanine rather than phenylalanine. Normally in the body, phenylalanine has to be converted to tyrosine, but when phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme is defected, phenylalanine gets converted to phenyl-pyruvate instead, and it gets accumulated. Its accumulation is dangerous because it can get to the CNS and damage the brain causing retardation.