Amino Acid Metabolism related Antibody Products

Leveraging our expertise, Amerigo Scientific provides advanced antibodies targeting key enzymes and transporters in amino acid metabolism. Our products provide high specificity and reliability, supporting researchers in accurate metabolic studies, disease analysis, and therapeutic development, ultimately enhancing research efficiency and outcomes.

Amino acid metabolism comprises the processes by which cells synthesize and degrade amino acids, fundamental building blocks of proteins. It involves transamination, deamination, and decarboxylation reactions, converting amino acids into a variety of metabolic intermediates. Essential amino acids must be received from the diet, whereas non-essential ones are generated by the body. Key pathways include the urea cycle, which detoxifies ammonia, and the conversion of amino acids into glucose or ketone bodies for energy. These processes are vital for maintaining nitrogen balance, supporting growth, repair, and overall metabolic homeostasis.

Pathways of Amino Acid Metabolism

Transamination: This process transfers amino groups from amino acids to alpha-keto acids, primarily catalyzed by aminotransferases (e.g., ALT and AST). It's essential for the synthesis of non-essential amino acids and the initial step in amino acid catabolism.

Deamination: Amino acids undergo deamination to remove the amino group, producing ammonia and corresponding keto acids. Enzymes like glutamate dehydrogenase catalyze this process. The ammonia is then converted into urea via the Urea Cycle, a vital detoxification pathway occurring in the liver, preventing toxic accumulation of ammonia. Several enzymes such as carbamoyl phosphate synthetase and arginase participate in the cycle.

Decarboxylation: Amino acids undergo decarboxylation to form biogenic amines. For instance, histidine decarboxylase converts histidine to histamine, a vital mediator in immune responses, while glutamate decarboxylase produces gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an important neurotransmitter.

Gluconeogenesis: Glucogenic amino acids are converted into glucose through gluconeogenesis, primarily in the liver. Enzymes like pyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase facilitate this process, ensuring energy supply during fasting or high-energy demand.

Ketogenesis: Ketogenic amino acids are broken down into acetyl-CoA and acetoacetate, precursors for ketone bodies. This pathway, involving enzymes like HMG-CoA synthase, provides an alternative energy source during extended fasting or low-carbohydrate consumption.

Fig.1 Overview of major amino acid metabolic pathways.¹

Signaling in Amino Acid Metabolism

Amino acid metabolism is tightly regulated by interconnected signaling pathways. The mechanistic target of mTOR senses amino acid availability, particularly leucine, and regulates protein synthesis, cell growth, and autophagy. Activation of mTORC1 promotes anabolic processes, enhancing amino acid uptake and utilization. Concurrently, the transcription factor Myc drives amino acid metabolism by upregulating genes involved in amino acid transport and biosynthesis, ensuring a constant supply for protein and nucleotide production. Altered KRAS signaling, often seen in cancers, reprograms amino acid metabolism to support rapid cell proliferation by enhancing glutamine uptake and its catabolism, providing critical intermediates for the TCA cycle and biosynthetic processes. Together, these pathways integrate nutrient sensing with metabolic responses to maintain cellular homeostasis and support growth.

Disorders in amino acid metabolism have been associated with various pathological illnesses, including metabolic diseases, immune disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. Therapeutic strategies targeting this metabolic feature disease have also been widely explored and have made significant clinical progress, focusing on key enzymes/transporters of amino acid metabolism. Committed to innovative research, Amerigo Scientific provides antibody products targeting these key enzymes/transporters. Involving targets include but are not limited to the below:

BCAT1, BCAT2, BCKDK, LAT1, LAT2, LAT3, LAT4, LAT5, LAT6, LAT7, LAT8, ASP, ADI, ARG1, ARG2, PADI4, ARG, PRMT, PRMT5, HDAC, HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC3, HDAC6, MTAP, GLS, GLS1, SLC7A11, SLC1A5, SLC6A14, SLC7A5, MAT2A, METAP2, ASCT2, CATs, ASNS, DHFR.

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