Tryptophan
4,543 views
Amino Acids
- Serine
- Asparagine
- Alanine
- Valine
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Phenylalanine
- Tryptophan
- Methionine
- Proline
- Glycine
- Threonine
- Cysteine
- Tyrosine
- Glutamine
- Aspartate
- Glutamate
- Histidine
- Lysine
- Arginine
Summary
Tryptophan, which abbreviates to the 3-letter Trp or single letter W, is one of the 20 amino acids found in proteins. Tryptophan’s R-group is an indole group, consisting of an aromatic benzene ring fused to a 5-sided ring containing nitrogen. Due to the overwhelmingly non-polar nature of this R-group, tryptophan is also a non-polar, hydrophobic amino acid, with a neutral charge at physiological pH.
Key Points
- Tryptophan
- Abbreviations
- Trp, W
- Chemical Structure
- R-Group: -CH2-Indole
- Indole
- 6-membered benzene fused to 5-membered pyrrole ring
- Bicyclic aromatic structure
- Indole
- Polarity
- Nonpolar (lipid soluble/hydrophobic)
- Charge at pH 7
- Neutral (0)
- Abbreviations
