Molecular model of Aspartic Acid or Aspartate (C4. H7. NO4),a negative charged,non-essential and genetically coded amino acid which plays an important role in the synthesis of other amino acids and in the citric acid and urea cycles. Asparagine,arginine,lysine,methionine,isoleucine,and some nucleotides are synthesized from aspartic acid. Aspartic acid also serves as a neurotransmitter. Atoms are represented as spheres and are colour-coded: carbon (black),hydrogen (white),nitrogen (blue) and oxygen (red). Illustration |