Amino acid

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/amino-acid

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the related fields?Biochemistry, molecular biology, nutrition, pharmacology, biotechnology
2. What are amino acids and why are they important?Amino acids are tiny building blocks that make up proteins, which help our bodies grow and repair. There are 20 different kinds, each with a special side chain that gives it unique properties.
3. Why do we need essential amino acids and where can we get them?Nine of the 20 amino acids cannot be made by our bodies, so we must eat foods that contain them, like meat, eggs, dairy, or a mix of plant foods such as rice and beans.

Peptide Bond: The covalent bond formed between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another.
Polypeptide Chain: A linear sequence of amino acids linked by peptide bonds, forming the primary structure of a protein.
Protein Folding: The process by which a polypeptide chain acquires its functional three-dimensional structure.
Codon: A sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid or signals the termination of translation.