amino acid
Type: molecule Aliases: amino acidsamino-acid
- Systems Analogy A single standard building block linked together in chains to make proteins.
- Formal Definition A small organic compound containing both an amino and a carboxyl group, acting as the fundamental monomeric building block of proteins.
Mentioned In
- Moleculecysteine, homocysteine, methionine, protein, sulfur
- Processprotein folding
Scientific Sources & Literature Citations
- [1] Book / Monograph Nelson DL, Cox MM. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. 8th ed. 2021. ↗
"Amino acids are the monomeric components of proteins."