Which statement best describes the biochemical process of transamination in amino acid metabolism?

• A. Transamination removes the carboxyl group from an amino acid and converts it directly into glucose via gluconeogenesis
• B. Transamination refers to the direct incorporation of dietary proteins into muscle without modification
• C. Transamination transfers an amino group from one amino acid (often an essential amino acid) to a carbon skeleton to form a different amino acid, enabling synthesis of nonessential amino acids
• D. Transamination only occurs in the digestive lumen and is unrelated to cellular amino acid interconversion

Answer: (C)