alanine
Definition
- Noun:
- A non-essential amino acid: Alanine is a simple, neutral amino acid that is a constituent of many proteins and is involved in the metabolism of glucose.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Alanine is one of the most common amino acids found in proteins.
- The body can synthesize alanine, so it is not required in the diet.
- The researcher measured the concentration of alanine in the sample.
Advanced Usage
- "Alanine scanning": A molecular biology technique used to study a protein's structure and function by systematically replacing other amino acids with alanine.
- Alanine scanning mutagenesis helped identify the key residues for the enzyme's activity.
Variants and Related Words
- β-alanine (Beta-alanine) (n): A naturally occurring beta amino acid (isomer of alanine) that is not used in protein synthesis but is a component of certain peptides.
- Beta-alanine is popular as a dietary supplement among athletes.
Synonyms
- Amino acid: (general class) Alanine is a specific type of amino acid.
- Ala: (abbreviation) The standard three-letter and one-letter ('A') abbreviation for alanine in biochemistry.
Related Phrases and Compounds
- Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (n): A liver enzyme that catalyzes a reaction involving alanine; its blood level is a common clinical test.
- Elevated alanine aminotransferase can indicate liver damage.
- Alanine cycle (n): A series of biochemical reactions, also known as the glucose-alanine cycle, that transports nitrogen from muscles to the liver.
- The alanine cycle is crucial for nitrogen metabolism during exercise.
Noun
-
a crystalline amino acid that occurs in many proteins
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