Amino Acids test [Great Plains Laboratory / Doctor's Data]
Urine
Performed by: Doctor's Data
Amino acids are the basic structural units that comprise proteins and are found throughout the body. Many inborn errors of amino acid metabolism that affect amino acid transport or metabolism have been identified, such as phenylketonuria and tyrosinemia. Amino acid disorders can manifest at any age, but most become evident in infancy or early childhood. These disorders result in the accumulation or the deficiency of 1 or more amino acids in biological fluids, which leads to the clinical signs and symptoms of the particular amino acid disorder.
The clinical presentation is dependent upon the specific amino acid disorder. In general, affected patients may experience failure to thrive, neurologic symptoms, digestive problems, dermatologic findings, and physical and cognitive delays. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, amino acid disorders can result in intellectual disabilities and possibly death.
In addition, amino acid analysis may have clinical importance in the evaluation of several acquired conditions including endocrine disorders, liver diseases, muscle diseases, neoplastic diseases, neurological disorders, nutritional disturbances, kidney failure, and burns. General elevations in urine amino acid levels, called aminoaciduria, can be seen in disorders with amino acid transport defects such as lysinuric protein intolerance and Hartnup disease, as well as in conditions with renal tubular dysfunction including Lowe syndrome and Dent disease.
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Biomarkers included in this panel:
It is a component of the dietary peptide anserine. Anserine is beta-alanyl-1-methyl-L-histidine, and it is known to come from chicken, turkey, duck, rabbit, tuna and salmon.
Learn moreBoth 1-methylhistidine and 3-methylhistidine are histidine metabolites which have been proposed as markers of meat intake. Note that some confusion exists in the literature regarding the numbering of atoms in the imidazole ring of histidine – 1
Learn moreAlpha amniobutyric acid (AABA), also known as Alpha-amino-N-butyric acid (A-ANB), is an intermediate formed during the catabolism of methionine and threonine. Increases in AABA occur secondary to elevations of either methionine or threonine. AABA bec
Learn moreAlpha-aminoadipic acid (a-Aminoadipic acid) is an intermediary metabolite of lysine (primarily) and of tryptophan.
Learn moreAmmonia is a waste product naturally produced in the body. It primarily comes from the digestion of protein by bacteria in the intestines.
Learn moreAnserine (beta-alanyl-3-methyl-histidine) is a urinary biomarker from the consumption of poultry and fish. It is a dipeptide consisting of the amino acids 1-methylhistidine and beta-alanine. The enzyme carnosineN-methyl transferase catalyzes the tran
Learn moreAspartic acid is a nonessential amino acid that plays roles in many important metabolic processes, such as energy production (citric acid cycle), hormone metabolism, CNS activation, and the urea cycle. It is found in many protein sources such as oyst
Learn moreβ-alanine is a breakdown product of carnosine and anserine, which are dipeptides from meat consumption. Although β-alanine’s properties are limited, its relationship to carnosine makes it important. Both have antioxidant properties. A
Learn moreBeta-aminoisobutyric acid (also known as 3-aminoisobutyric acid) is a non-protein amino acid formed by the catabolism of valine and the nucleotide thymine. It is further catabolized to methylmalonic acid semialdehyde and propionyl-CoA. Levels are con
Learn moreCarnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is a urinary biomarker which comes from the consumption of beef, pork, and to a lesser extent, poultry. It is a dipeptide consisting of the amino acids histidine and beta-alanine and is concentrated in skeletal
Learn moreThe urinary creatinine concentration (CC) represents the actual creatinine concentration in the specimen that was submitted. Under normal conditions, the rate of excretion of creatinine is quite constant and highly correlated with lean body m
Learn moreCystathionine is an intermediate dipeptide within the process of transsulfuration. Transsulfuration is the main route for irreversible homocysteine disposal, glutathione production, and energy. The initial step involves the enzyme cystathionine &beta
Learn moreCysteine is a nonessential sulfur-containing amino acid. It is obtained from the diet and is also endogenously made from the intermediate amino acid cystathionine. Dietary cysteine sources include poultry, eggs, beef, and whole grains. This amino
Learn moreCystine is formed from the oxidation of cysteine, or from the degradation of glutathione oxidation products. It is two cysteines linked together with a disulfide bond. The urine FMV amino acid test reports cysteine and cystine separately. The plas
Learn moreGamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter found in the CNS and, as such, is important for balancing excitatory action of other neurotransmitters.
Learn moreGlycine is an amino acid with various important functions within your body, including detoxification, DNA formation, the synthesis of hemoglobin, and as a part of brain neurotransmission pathways. Glycine and serine are interchangeable.
Learn moreHydroxyproline is a collagen related amino acid. Hydroxyproline is a nonessential amino acid, which means that it is manufactured from other amino acids in the liver. Hydroxyproline is necessary for the construction of the body’s major structur
Learn moreMethionine is an essential amino acid that plays an important role in the methylation cycle. Methionine is obtained from dietary intake or through homocysteine remethylation. Methionine’s dietary sources include eggs, fish, meats, Brazil nuts,
Learn moreTryptophan is involved in serotonin production via vitamin B6-dependent pathways resulting in the intermediate 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). 5-HTP is often used as a supplement for serotonin formation instead of tryptophan, which can be quickly met
Learn moreTyrosin is the non-essential amino acid precursor for dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. Tyrosine hydroxylase converts tyrosine into the dopamine precursor L-DOPA; BH4, Vitamin D and iron are cofactors for that enzymatic activity. Tyrosine
Learn moreUrea is the final excretory product of nitrogen (protein) metabolism in the body.
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