What is the name of 21st amino acid and what their role in our body?

Question

frostbite · Answer

Are you thinking about selenocysteine? It have similar chemical properties as cysteine.

koikkara · Answer

@biochemistrylife Hai Sweet Friend, WeLcoMe to OpeN stuDy.. !!

Selenocysteine: the 21st amino acid. The body uses the selenocysteine amino acid to produce selenium. 

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anonymous · Answer

Good @Koikkara

frostbite · Answer

That would hardly be the case, that selenocysteine got it's most specific property being incorporated into what you call "selenium-creating" proteins.

I think a more relevant property would be that ionized selenolate can react with hydrogen peroxide to form a selenenic acid (selenocysteine can be found in peroxidases). Generally it's ability easier to form an ion easier than cysteine. The reason for this is that selenocysteine got a pKa at 5 while cysteine got a pKa on 8.

Source: Biochemistry by Lehninger.
Leacturenotes to inorganic biological chemistry.