Amino
Acids on Earth
by
Cheyne Blair
1.
The properties of Proline are:
-
Moderatly hydrophobic; neutral
-
pI 6.3
-
Saturated five member ring
-
No functional group containing
S
-
Commonly found in Beta turns
-
Proline has a secondary amino
group; is sometimes called an imino acid.
-
An interesting Venn
diagram showing physio-chemical properties of the 20 amino acids important
in the determination of protein structure
2.
A derivative of Proline would be:
3.
An interesting biological or pharmaceutical role of Proline is:
-
Proline
itself is essential in the normal function of joints and tendons and helps
maintain and strengthen heart muscle. Hydroxyprolines are useful for chemical
synthesis of pharmaceuticals including glycopeptides, antimetabolites of
glutamic acid, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and other pharmaceuticals
that are used for antitumor therapy or treatment of collagen metabolism
diseases.
-
These
same hydroxyprolines have some cosmetic
applications as well. Testing on human skin shows that hydroxyproline
can be more effective than collagen at moisturizing skin. Hydroxyproline
is an effective cosmetic material and anti-skin-aging agent because of
its various physiological activities on epidermal cells and collagen biosynthesis.
4.
On a biosphere on a distant planet outside our solar system, a different
but related amino acid is found:
-
On planet Dagobah, cis-2-chloro-L-proline
is found in proteins. It can still be found providing structural
support in beta turns, but lacks its physiological activities.
