Amino acid nomenclature
There are 20 amino acids regarded as common, or proteinogenic or coded. Proteinogenic amino acids are encoded directly by triplet codons in the genetic code and are also known as standard amino acids.
Common amino acids are grouped according to their chemical nature as non polar, polar, acidic or basic. Nonpolar peptides include hydrocarbons and one sulphur-containing amino acid, and hydrophobic effects dominate their interactions, with them having characteristic hydrophobic effects in water. Polar peptides are uncharged and can hydrogen bond with water and other amino acids, while acidic peptides contain a carboxylic acid and can also bond with water. Basic, nitrogen containing amino acids have net positive charge at neutral pH and form ionic interactions.
When in sequences common amino acids are usually abbreviated to a one letter symbol and are also represented by a three letter code. The list below are the single letters and three letter abbreviations used for common amino acids in our website and literature.
Amino acid Three-letter code One-letter symbol Type
Alanine Ala A Non polar
Arginine Arg R Basic
Asparagine Asn N Polar
Aspartic acid Asp D Acidic
Cysteine Cys C Polar
Glutamine Gln Q Polar
Glutamic acid Glu E Acidic
Glycine Gly G Non polar
Histidine His H Basic
Isoleucine Ile I Non polar
Leucine Leu L Non polar
Lysine Lys K Basic
Methionine Met M Non polar
Phenylalanine Phe F Non polar
Proline Pro P Non polar
Serine Ser S Polar
Threonine Thr T Polar
Tryptophan Trp W Non polar
Tyrosine Tyr Y Polar
Valine Val V Non polar
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