The Uniqueness of Tryptophan in Biology: Properties, Metabolism, Interactions and Localization in Proteins.

摘要: Tryptophan (Trp) holds a unique place in biology for multitude of reasons. It is the largest all twenty amino acids translational toolbox. Its side chain indole, which aromatic with binuclear ring structure, whereas those Phe, Tyr, and His are single-ring aromatics. In part due to these elaborate structural features, biosynthetic pathway Trp most complex energy-consuming among acids. Essential animal diet, also least abundant acid cell, one rarest proteome. eukaryotes, only besides Met, coded by single codon, namely UGG. Due large hydrophobic π-electron surface area, its interacts multiple other chains protein, befitting strategic locations protein structure. Finally, several derivatives, tryptophylquinone, oxitriptan, serotonin, melatonin, tryptophol, have specialized functions. Overall, scarce precious such that nature uses it parsimoniously, but selective Here, various aspects uniqueness presented molecular terms.