Problem
1) How much protein is recommended? What is this based on? What does this look like in terms of servings of specific foods?
2) What is a protein? Why is protein so important?
3) What gives the protein its structure?
4) What does essential amino acid mean? Give example of conditions that make an AA essential.
5) What does endogenous and exogenous protein mean?
6) What does this statement mean? "HCL can break apart hydrogen and electrostatic bonds, but peptide bonds are not affected by HCL."
7) Walk through what protein does; describe the details of protein digestion.
8) There are so many enzymes needed for protein digestion. Why does it often single out pepsin in the basic nutrition? What makes it unique?
9) Once protein is digested, what specifically is absorbed by the enterocyte?
10) Explain AA absorption. Use the words: lumen, enterocyte, apical side, basolateral side, co-transport, di/tri-peptides, PEPT1, H+ or NA+/K+-ATPase.
11) Once AAs are absorbed, where do they go first? (Do they follow the path of glucose or a long-chain fatty acid)?
12) What kind of reaction is this, and why is it needed?
Aminotransferase Amino acid1 + α-keto acid2 ---------------------à Amino acid22 + α-keto acid1.
13) What is a carbon skeleton, and what is it used for? How is the fate of a carbon skeleton determined?
14) What is gluconeogenesis? Use the words amino acid and carbon skeleton in your description.
15) discuss the metabolism of protein. Briefly describe what it is . what are two of the many gluconeogenic amino acids?
16) Once all the AAs from a meal are absorbed, several complicated metabolic pathways are at work. New proteins are often synthesized. Briefly describe what protein synthesis looks like.
17) What is the end product of protein synthesis? What do these proteins do or go?
18) What AA is the preferred fuel for the enterocyte?
19) What does systemic protein catabolism mean, and when would protein catabolism be elevated?
20) What specifically happens to muscles as we age? Why does this happen, and what are the implications?
21) What is the difference between complete and incomplete proteins? Give several examples of each. Why is it critical that the diet contains all AAs?