Glutamic acid is an amino acid with a second carboxylic acid group in its side chain. Near physiological pH, this side chain is mostly deprotonated, giving glutamate.
Transamination connects the glutamate carbon skeleton with 2-Oxoglutarate. This allows amino groups to be transferred between carbon skeletons, making glutamate central to nitrogen metabolism as well as a constituent of proteins.
New to topics? Read the docs here!