alanine

Thân thiện

A scientist examines a model of the alanine molecule in a laboratory.

Definition

1. 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.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a crystalline amino acid that occurs in many proteins