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Amino acids are chiral compounds that are present in living organisms as free compounds or as polymers such as peptides or proteins. The 20 L-Amino acids present in proteins and peptides are defined as proteinogenic amino acid. About 500 amino acids are known and have been classified in many ways base on their chemical/physical properties .
All α-amino acids (AA) but glycine exist in either of the two enantiomers, which are mirror images of each other (the so called D- and L-enantiomers).
Although present in a less concentration in mammals, free D-amino acids play central roles: as an example D-serine is one of the main neuromodulators of the glutamatergic neurotransmission and D-aspartate is fundamental for brain development in fetus.
References
- Wagner I, Musso H (November 1983). "New Naturally Occurring Amino Acids". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 22 (11): 816–28. doi:10.1002/anie.198308161.[REDACTED]
- Katane M, Homma H (June 2010). "D-aspartate oxidase: the sole catabolic enzyme acting on free D-aspartate in mammals". Chem Biodivers. 7 (6): 1435–49. doi:10.1002/cbdv.200900250. PMID 20564562.
- Mothet JP, Parent AT, Wolosker H, Brady RO, Linden DJ, Ferris CD, Rogawski MA, Snyder SH (April 2000). "D-serine is an endogenous ligand for the glycine site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 97 (9): 4926–31. Bibcode:2000PNAS...97.4926M. doi:10.1073/pnas.97.9.4926. PMC 18334. PMID 10781100.