Category
page 1Non-proteinogenic amino acids
γ-aminobutyric acid
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid, γ-aminobutyric acid) is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the developmentally mature mammalian central nervous system. Its principal role is reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system.

L-ornithine
Ornithine is a non-proteinogenic α-amino acid that plays a role in the urea cycle. It is not incorporated into proteins during translation. Ornithine is abnormally accumulated in the body in ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, a disorder of the urea cycle. The moiety derived from ornithine is called ornithyl.
L-citrulline
The organic compound citrulline is a non-essential α-amino acid. Its name is derived from citrullus, the Latin word for watermelon. Although named and described by gastroenterologists since the late 19th century, it was first isolated from watermelon in 1914 by Japanese researchers Yatarō Koga (古賀彌太郎) and Ryō Ōtake (大嶽了) and further codified by Mitsunori Wada of Tokyo Imperial University in 1930.
It has the formula H2NC(O)NH(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. It is a key intermediate in the urea cycle, the pathway by which mammals excrete ammonia by converting it into urea. Citrulline is also produced as a byp
DL-homocysteine
Homocysteine (; symbol Hcy) is a non-proteinogenic α-amino acid. It is a homologue of the amino acid cysteine, differing by an additional methylene bridge (). It is biosynthesized from methionine by the removal of its terminal Cε methyl group.
4-aminobenzoic acid
chemical compound

L-cystine
Cystine is the oxidized derivative of the amino acid cysteine and has the formula (SCH2CH(NH2)CO2H)2. It is a white solid that is poorly soluble in water. As a residue in proteins, cystine serves two functions: a site of redox reactions and a mechanical linkage that allows proteins to retain their three-dimensional structure.
tranexamic acid
chemical compound used to treat or prevent blood loss
β-alanine
β-Alanine ('''beta-alanine) is a naturally occurring beta amino acid. Beta amino acids are amino acids in which the amino group is attached to the β-carbon atom (i.e. the carbon atom two carbon atoms away from the carboxylate group) instead of the more usual α-carbon atom for alanine (α-alanine). The IUPAC name for β-alanine is 3-aminopropanoic acid'''. Unlike its counterpart α-alanine, β-alanine has no stereocenter.
D-penicillamine
Penicillamine, sold under the brand name of Cuprimine among others, is a medication primarily used for the treatment of Wilson's disease. It is also used for people with kidney stones who have high urine cystine levels, rheumatoid arthritis, and various heavy metal poisonings. It is taken by mouth.
theanine
Theanine , also known as L-γ-glutamylethylamide, '''N5-ethyl-L-glutamine, or γ-glutamylethylamide', is a bioactive, non-proteinogenic amino acid similar to the proteinogenic amino acids glutamic acid and L-glutamine. It is produced by certain plants such as the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), and by some fungi. Theanine was discovered in 1949 as a constituent of green tea and was isolated in 1950 from gyokuro'' tea leaves. Theanine constitutes about 1–2% of the dry weight of green tea leaves.
hydroxyproline
'(2S,4R)-4-Hydroxyproline, or L-hydroxyproline (C5H9O3N), is an amino acid, abbreviated as Hyp or O', e.g., in Protein Data Bank.

L-homoserine
Homoserine (also called isothreonine) is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH(NH2)CH2CH2OH. L-Homoserine is not one of the common amino acids encoded by DNA. It differs from the proteinogenic amino acid serine by insertion of an additional unit into the sidechain. Homoserine, or its lactone, is the product of a cyanogen bromide cleavage of a peptide by degradation of methionine. Homoserine is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of three essential amino acids: methionine, threonine (an isomer of homoserine), and isoleucine.
aminolevulinic acid
chemical compound
(RS)-pyroglutamic acid
group of stereoisomers
2,6-diaminopimelic acid
group of stereoisomers
L-cystathionine
Cystathionine is an intermediate in the synthesis of cysteine from homocysteine. It is produced by the transsulfuration pathway and is converted into cysteine by cystathionine gamma-lyase (CTH).
L-lanthionine
Lanthionine is a nonproteinogenic amino acid with the chemical formula (HOOC-CH(NH2)-CH2-S-CH2-CH(NH2)-COOH). It is typically formed by a cysteine residue and a dehydrated serine residue. Despite its name, lanthionine does not contain the element lanthanum.
non-proteinogenic amino acid
class of chemical compounds
2-aminohexanoic acid
Norleucine (abbreviated as Nle) is an amino acid with the formula CH3(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. A systematic name for this compound is 2-aminohexanoic acid. The compound is an isomer of the more common amino acid leucine. Like most other α-amino acids, norleucine is chiral. It is a white, water-soluble solid.
L-norvaline
Norvaline (abbreviated as Nva) is an amino acid with the formula CH3(CH2)2CH(NH2)CO2H. The compound is a structural analog of valeric acid and also an isomer of the more common amino acid valine. Like most other α-amino acids, norvaline is chiral. It is a white, water-soluble solid.
DL-γ-carboxyglutamic acid
pair of enantiomeric chemical compounds
DL-pipecolic acid
pair of enantiomers
canavanine
L-(+)-(S)-Canavanine is a non-proteinogenic amino acid found in certain leguminous plants. It is structurally related to the proteinogenic α-amino acid L-arginine, the sole difference being the replacement of a methylene bridge ( unit) in arginine with an oxa group (i.e., an oxygen atom) in canavanine. Canavanine is accumulated primarily in the seeds of the organisms which produce it, where it serves both as a highly deleterious defensive compound against herbivores (due to cells mistaking it for arginine) and a vital source of nitrogen for the growing embryo. The related L-canaline is similar
α-aminoisobutyric acid
chemical compound
hypusine
Hypusine is an uncommon amino acid found in all eukaryotes and in some archaea, but not in bacteria. The only known proteins containing the hypusine residue is eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) and the archaeal homolog aIF5A. In humans, two isoforms of eIF-5A have been described: eIF5A-1 and eIF5A-2. They are encoded by two distinct genes EIF5A and EIF5A2. The protein is involved in protein biosynthesis and promotes the formation of the first peptide bond. The region surrounding the hypusine residue is highly conserved and is essential to the function of eIF5A. Thus, hypusin

dehydroalanine
Dehydroalanine is an organic compound with the formula . It does not exist in its free form, but it occurs naturally as a residue found in peptides of microbial origin. Unlike most amino acid residues, it has an unsaturated backbone.

quisqualic acid
chemical compound
(S)-2-azetidinecarboxylic acid
chemical compound
ADDA
chemical compound
L-thialysine
'''S-Aminoethyl--cysteine, also known as thialysine''', is a toxic analog of the amino acid lysine in which the second carbon of the amino acid's R-group (side chain) has been replaced with a sulfur atom.
3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine
'(S)-3,5-Dihydroxyphenylglycine or DHPG' is a potent agonist of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) mGluR1 and mGluR5.
L-canaline
-Canaline (IUPAC name 2-amino-4-(aminooxy)butyric acid)) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid. The compound is found in legumes that contain canavanine, from which it is produced by the action of arginase. The most common-used source for this amino acid is the jack bean, Canavalia ensiformis.
beta-leucine
β-Leucine ('''beta-leucine''') is a beta amino acid and positional isomer of -leucine which is naturally produced in humans via the metabolism of -leucine by the enzyme leucine 2,3-aminomutase. In cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficient individuals, plasma concentrations of β-leucine are elevated.
Hawkinsin
Hawkinsin (also known as 2-cystenyl-1,4-dihydroxycyclohexenylacetate) is an amino acid, which is formed after detoxification of a reactive tyrosine metabolite (quinol acetate) by glutathione. Hawkinsin is ninhydrin positive (a common test to detect amino acids and proteins with a free -NH2 group).