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Glite Dictionary
canavanine

canavanine

9.9
An amino acid in the seeds of some beans and peas, especially the jack bean
  • noun
  • /ˌkænəˈvæniːn/
  • Specialized
: canavanina
  • It tricks your transfer RNA and it winds up that that the canavanine actually gets miss incorporated into your proteins.

It tricks your transfer RNA and it winds up that that the canavanine actually gets miss incorporated into your proteins.

Examples

  • The amino acid canavanine is primarily found in the seeds of the jack bean.

  • Researchers studied the effects of canavanine on protein synthesis in legumes.

  • In addition to arginine, plants produce the amino acid canavanine in their seeds.

Surface Forms

canavanine singular
canavanines plural

Morphology

canavanine = Canavalia (opaque) = canavalia + ine

Formed from the plant genus name 'Canavalia' plus the chemical suffix '-ine'; the formation is clear in scientific nomenclature but not meaningful to average learners.

Etymology

Canavanine comes from the name of the jack bean plant, Canavalia, plus the chemical ending -ine. So canavanine is like the 'substance from Canavalia', which explains why it is found in jack bean seeds.