page_title: N-Acetylglutamic acid
section_title: Structure
hierarchical_section_title: N-Acetylglutamic acid / Structure
caption_attribution_description: English: N acetylglutamic acid at physiological pH
context_page_description: N-Acetylglutamic acid is biosynthesized from glutamate and acetylornithine by ornithine acetyltransferase, and from glutamic acid and acetyl-CoA by the enzyme N-acetylglutamate synthase. The reverse reaction, hydrolysis of the acetyl group, is catalyzed by a specific hydrolase. It is the first intermediate involved in the biosynthesis of arginine in prokaryotes and simple eukaryotes and a regulator in the process known as the urea cycle that converts toxic ammonia to urea for excretion from the body in vertebrates.
context_section_description: N-Acetylglutamic acid is composed of two carboxylic acid groups and an amide group protruding from the second carbon. The structure of N-acetylglutamic acid at physiological pH (7.4) has all carboxyl groups deprotonated.
caption: N-Acetylglutamic acid at physiological pH (7.4)
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