{"id":53,"date":"2022-08-08T21:55:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T04:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/efwebfolio\/?page_id=53"},"modified":"2022-08-11T21:43:16","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T04:43:16","slug":"best-works","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/efwebfolio\/best-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Works"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted here are my best works from the class ENGL 301:<\/p>\n

I. Definition Assignment and Peer Review:<\/em><\/h1>\n

The goal of the definition assignment was to define a technical term for non-technical audiences. In this assignment, I attempt to provide a definition of the term amino acid in a concise and easy-to-understand manner. The definition assignment includes an introduction, parenthetical definition, sentence definition, expanded definition, and various graphics that support the definition. Additionally, my peer review of another team member’s definition assignment will be included below. This peer review addressed to Matilda aims to provide insightful suggestions to improve her definition of the term historiography.<\/p>\n

1. Definition Assignment:<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Introduction:<\/strong>
\nDear writing team,<\/p>\n

This assignment aims to describe the term amino acid in varying levels of detail to non-technical readers. The reading situation will be a third-year chemistry student explaining what research he is working on to his parents. Three descriptions will be given, a parenthetical definition, a sentence definition, and an expanded definition. A few necessary technical terms will be used however, all technical terms will be explained in a glossary.<\/p>\n

Word:<\/strong>
\nAmino acid<\/p>\n

Parenthetical definition:<\/strong>
\nAmino acids (the building block of proteins) are necessary for all living beings to function.<\/p>\n

Sentence definition:<\/strong>
\nAmino acids are a type of biomolecule that behave as the foundation of proteins and are characterized by having an amino1<\/sup> group, carboxylic acid2<\/sup> group, and a side chain specific to each amino acid.<\/p>\n

Expanded definition:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Importance of Amino Acids<\/u>
\nProteins functionalize every part of our bodies from running, jumping, breathing, digesting, and thinking. As such, scientists have put a lot of effort into the study of proteins and their building blocks which are called amino acids. Different amino acids come together to build different proteins which have different functions in the body. This means that having the wrong amino acid in a certain protein can cause it to be dysfunctional or broken, leading to disease. Examples of diseases that are caused by protein malfunction include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s, and many others. The study of amino acids is important to curing these diseases and creating drugs to treat other issues such as cancer.<\/p>\n

Etymology<\/u>
\nThe word \u201camino acid\u201d comes from the two defining groups present in the molecule. The word \u201camino\u201d refers to the amine1<\/sup> group and \u201cacid\u201d refers to the carboxylic acid2<\/sup> group.<\/p>\n

History<\/u>
\nThe first amino acid, asparagine was isolated in the early 1800s, by French chemists Louis Nicolas Vauquelin and Pierre Jean Robiquet [1]. Amino acids continued to be discovered throughout the 1800s, however, the function of amino acids in a biological context was not understood. In 1902, Emil Fischer and Franz Hofmeister hypothesized that many amino acids could combine to create proteins via a linkage Fischer termed \u201cpeptide bond\u201d [1].\u00a0 An example of peptide bond formation between two amino acids is shown in Figure 2.<\/p>\n

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Figure 1:\u00a0 This figure shows the structure of an amino acid. The carboxylic acid group is highlighted in red, the amino group is highlighted in blue, and the side chain is highlighted in green. Any changes to this structure can compromise a protein.<\/p>\n

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Figure 2: Peptide bond (highlighted in red) formation resulting in the loss of water. This is how proteins are formed on a molecular level.<\/p>\n

(Functions) Biological and artificial protein synthesis:<\/u>
\nAmino acids by themselves are useless however, when combined into functional proteins they dictate almost all biological functions. To help visualize this, imagine each amino acid as a LEGO\u00ae<\/sup> brick. An individual LEGO\u00ae<\/sup> brick is useless but when stacked on top of each other they can create magnificent LEGO\u00ae <\/sup>structures. In living systems, protein formation is catalyzed by the ribosome, a special organelle in the cell\u00a0 [2]. Outside of biological systems, there are chemical coupling reagents that can incite protein formation allowing for the synthesis of artificial proteins. In addition, most laboratories use a technique called solid-phase peptide synthesis3<\/sup> (SPPS) to allow for an easier and more efficient protein synthesis [3].<\/p>\n

Biological and artificial amino acid synthesis:<\/u>
\nLike proteins, amino acids can be synthesized biologically or artificially. In biology, there are 20 common amino acids that make up a majority of naturally occurring proteins. In humans, only 11 of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids can be synthesized by the body and are termed non-essential amino acids. Humans must obtain the other nine amino acids through diet. These nine amino acids are called essential amino acids. Artificial amino acids can be prepared in a laboratory through synthetic techniques which allow for total control of all functional groups present on the amino acid. Therefore, from a synthetic perspective, there is an unlimited amount of different amino acids that can be synthesized, each one with its own specific properties.<\/p>\n

The future of amino acids in science:<\/u>
\nAs a result of artificial amino acid synthesis, many scientists are interested in making modified peptides and proteins from novel amino acids. These proteins may contain desired functionalities not available in nature which may contribute to advances in medicine and biotechnologies. Additionally, there are many important natural proteins that have not yet been synthesized artificially. Overall, the synthesis of different amino acids, peptides, and proteins will continue to be a trending topic in the world of biochemistry and chemistry for years to come [4]. The peptide therapeutics market was reported to be valued at 39.6 billion dollars in 2021 and is expected to grow in the following years [4].<\/p>\n

Glossary:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Amine\/amino: A functional group in organic chemistry, composed of a nitrogen bonded to 3 other elements.<\/li>\n
  2. Carboxylic acid: A functional group in organic chemistry, composed of a carbon double bonded to an oxygen and an alcohol (OH)<\/li>\n
  3. Solid-phase peptide synthesis: The use of a solid support, usually in the form of glass beads to guide peptide synthesis. It allows for the use of a machine called a peptide synthesizer which can automatically build peptides through a user inputted sequence and amino acid reservoirs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Works Cited:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Vickery, Hubert Bradford., and Carl L. Schmidt. \u201cThe History of the Discovery of the Amino Acids.\u201d Chemical Reviews<\/em>, vol. 9, no. 2, 1931, pp. 169\u2013318., https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/cr60033a001<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    2. Ribosome<\/em>. Genome.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https:\/\/www.genome.gov\/genetics-glossary\/Ribosome#:~:text=A%20ribosome%20is%20an%20intercellular,that%20fold%20to%20form%20proteins.<\/li>\n
    3. Merrifield, B. (1986). Solid phase synthesis. Science<\/em>, 232<\/em>(4748), 341\u2013347. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/science.3961484<\/li>\n
    4. Global peptide therapeutics market size, share report, 2030. Global Peptide Therapeutics Market Size, Share Report, 2030. (n.d.). Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https:\/\/www.grandviewresearch.com\/industry-analysis\/peptide-therapeutics-market#:~:text=The%20global%20peptide%20therapeutics%20market,6.4%25%20from%202022%20to%202030.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      2. Peer Review of Matilda’s Definition Assignment:<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n

      To: Matilda Murray
      \nFrom: Ethan Fung
      \nDate: June 8, 2022
      \nSubject: Review of the definition assignment on the term historiography<\/p>\n

      First impressions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The definition of the term historiography was very well organized and appropriately suited for the target demographic. The assignment submitted was a great rough draft however, it could be improved. Here are a few suggestions:<\/p>\n

      Organization:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n