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L-alanine

thumb|Spin view of ball-stick model Alanine (symbol Ala or A), or α-alanine, is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an amine group and a carboxylic acid group, both attached to the central carbon atom which also carries a methyl group side chain. Consequently it is classified as a non-polar, aliphatic α-amino acid. Under biological conditions, it exists in its zwitterionic form with its amine group protonated (as ) and its carboxyl group deprotonated (as ). It is non-essential to humans as it can be synthesized metabolically and does not need to be present

AI overview

L-alanine is a simple amino acid—one of the building blocks used to make proteins in living organisms—that contains an amine group, a carboxylic acid group, and a methyl side chain all connected to a central carbon atom. It is non-essential for humans because our bodies can produce it on their own, so we don't need to obtain it from food sources.

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Article

13 sections

Contents

History and etymology
Structure
Sources
Biosynthesis
Chemical synthesis
Degradation
Alanine world hypothesis
Physiological function
Glucose–alanine cycle
Link to diabetes
Chemical properties
Free radical
References

The L-isomer of alanine (left-handed) is the one that is incorporated into proteins. L-alanine is second only to L-leucine in rate of occurrence, accounting for 7.8% of the primary structure in a sample of 1,150 proteins. The right-handed form, D-alanine, occurs in peptides in some bacterial cell walls (in peptidoglycan) and in some peptide antibiotics, and occurs in the tissues of many crustaceans and molluscs as an osmolyte.