Video Transcript
A buildup of amino acids can be
toxic to the human body. To prevent this, amino acids have
their amine group removed, which is then converted to a relatively nontoxic molecule
and excreted. The removal of an amine group is an
example of what type of metabolic reaction, anabolism or catabolism?
Let’s start by going over some of
the key terms that have been used in the question. Metabolism is the term used to
describe all the chemical reactions that take place in the body to support and
maintain life. Metabolic reactions can either be
anabolic, in which large molecules are constructed from smaller molecules, or
catabolic reactions, in which large molecules are broken down into smaller
molecules. This question talks about amino
acids and how their buildup can be toxic to the human body. Amino acids are the individual
units that make up proteins. Here we can see the simple
structure of an amino acid with the amine group circled.
As mentioned in the question, to
prevent toxicity to the body, the amine group is removed from the amino acid. This process is called
deamination. Since deamination involves the
breakdown of amino acids to separate the amine group, this is an example of a
catabolic reaction. So we’ve deduced that deamination
is an example of catabolism.
