Editing Asparagine (section)

==Sources==

===Dietary sources===
Asparagine is not [[essential amino acid|essential]] for humans, which means that it can be synthesized from central metabolic pathway intermediates and is not required in the diet.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

Asparagine is found in:
* Animal sources: [[dairy]], [[whey]], [[beef]], [[poultry]], [[egg (food)|eggs]], [[Fish (food)|fish]], [[lactalbumin]], [[seafood]]{{cn|date=March 2025}}
* Plant sources: [[Spirulina (dietary supplement)|seaweed (spirulina)]], [[potatoes]], [[soy protein isolate]], [[tofu]]{{cn|date=April 2024}}

===Biosynthesis and catabolism===
The precursor to asparagine is [[oxaloacetate]], which a [[transaminase]] enzyme converts to [[aspartate]].  The enzyme transfers the amino group from [[glutamate]] to oxaloacetate producing [[α-ketoglutarate]] and aspartate.  The enzyme [[asparagine synthetase]] produces asparagine, [[Adenosine monophosphate|AMP]], glutamate, and [[pyrophosphate]] from aspartate, [[glutamine]], and [[Adenosine triphosphate|ATP]].  Asparagine synthetase uses ATP to activate aspartate, forming β-aspartyl-AMP.  [[Glutamine]] donates an ammonium group, which reacts with β-aspartyl-AMP to form asparagine and free AMP.<ref name=Berg/>

[[Image:Asn biosynthesis.svg|frame|center|The biosynthesis of asparagine from oxaloacetate]]

In reaction that is the reverse of its biosynthesis, asparagine is hydrolyzed to aspartate by [[asparaginase]]. Aspartate then undergoes transamination to form glutamate and oxaloacetate from alpha-ketoglutarate. Oxaloacetate, which enters the [[citric acid cycle]] (Krebs cycle).<ref name=Berg>{{cite book |last1=Berg |first1=Jeremy |last2=Tymoczko |first2=John |last3=Stryer |first3=Lubert |title=Biochemistry |date=2002 |publisher=W. H. Freeman |location=New York |isbn=0716746840 |page=968 |edition=5th |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?call=bv.View..ShowTOC&rid=stryer.TOC |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-date=14 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314110156/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?call=bv.View..ShowTOC&rid=stryer.TOC |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Acrylamide controversy===
Heating a mixture of asparagine and [[reducing sugar]]s or other source of [[carbonyl]]s produces [[acrylamide]] in food. These products occur in baked goods such as French fries, potato chips, and toasted bread. Acrylamide is converted in the liver to [[glycidamide]], which is a possible carcinogen.<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1021/jf030204+ |year= 2003 |volume= 51 |issue= 16 |last1= Friedman| first1=Mendel |title=Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Safety of Acrylamide. A Review|journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry| pages=4504–4526 |pmid= 14705871}}</ref>