Question

Phenylalanine is required for the production of many bodily proteins, but none of your cells are capable of synthesizing this essential amino acid. What type of metabolic pathway must be responsible for providing phenylalanine to your cells? How would your diet effect the mount of Phenylalanine that is available?

Answer 1

Answer and explanation:

Phenylalanine is an amino acid that is very important for our bodies to function correctly but it isn't synthesized in our cells, so the only way to incorporate it is by having it in our diets, this is why phenylalanine is an essential amino acid.

Phenylalanine can be found in milk, eggs, chicken, and liver, among other foods known to be good protein sources. Given the fact that phenylalanine is an essential amino acid, the amount we ingest of it in our diet will directly impact on the availability of this amino acid in our body.

Phenylalanine is an amino acid and, as such, it will enter the metabolic pathway of protein catabolism, where it will be degraded to be fully usable for the body. Phenylalanine will be metabolized into acetoacetic acid and fumaric acid, and is the precursor of catecholamines such as epinephrine and norepinephrine, while also being part of the structure of several neuropeptides.