The Biology Project > Biochemistry > The Chemistry of Amino Acids

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Alanine A (Ala)

Chemical Properties:     Aliphatic (Aliphatic R-group)	Physical Properties:     Nonpolar
Alanine is a hydrophobic molecule. It is ambivalent, meaning that it can be inside or outside of the protein molecule. The α carbon of alanine is optically active; in proteins, only the L-isomer is found. Note that alanine is the α-amino acid analog of the α-keto acid pyruvate, an intermediate in sugar metabolism. Alanine and pyruvate are interchangeable by a transamination reaction.
Interchangeable with Pyruvate

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The Biology Project > Biochemistry > The Chemistry of Amino Acids

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