Question

A transamination reaction with glutamate and pyruvate as substrates would generate what products?

Oxaloacetic acid and Aspartate

Glutamine and Succinate

α-ketoglutarate and Alanine

Aspartate and Alanine

Answer 1

Transamination is an enzyme driven reversible chemical reaction that transfers the amine group from an amino acid to a keto acid forming a new amino acid and keto acid as products. The enzymes that catalyze the reactions are called transaminases.

So essentially the reaction is as follows:

Amino acid1 + keto acid1 ----(transaminases)-------- Amino acid2 + keto acid 2

In the above mentioned question, the amino acid donating the amine group is the glutamate. Along with pyruvate, in the presence of an transaminase enzyme called glutamate-pyruvate-transaminase (GTP) transamination reaction occurs forming the products alanine (new amino acid) and alpha keto-glutarate.