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Glite Dictionary
phenylalanine

phenylalanine

1 8.0
A building block of protein found in foods that the body uses for growth and changes into tyrosine
  • noun
  • /ˌfɛnɪlˈælənin/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fenilalanina
  • In the USA, a recent National Institutes of Health consensus statement recommended phenylalanine restriction across the lifespan of an individual with phenylketonuria.
  • phenylalanine concentration

So if I replace the phenylalanine with a an alanine, what might happen?

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Examples

  • The hormones dependent upon phenylalanine are essential for a positive mood.

  • Furthermore, there was no correlation between mean phenylalanine concentration and age in our population.

  • Furthermore, there was no correlation between mean phenylalanine concentration and age in our population.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The need for phenylalanine restriction in infancy and early childhood is clear.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Our study group included only patients actively trying to adhere to a phenylalanine-restricted diet.

    Academic text (2002)

  • For example, babies with phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot process phenylalanine well.

    Blog text (29)

  • Without this enzyme, phenylalanine accumulates in the body and interferes with the myelination of the brain.

    Academic text (2010)

  • PKU is characterized by the lack of an enzyme that converts phenylalanine into tyrosine.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The need for phenylalanine restriction in infancy and early childhood is clear.

Surface Forms

phenylalanine singular
phenylalanines plural

Morphology

phenylalanine = alanine (semi-transparent) = phenyl + alanine

Formally composed of the chemical combining form 'phenyl-' attached to 'alanine'; the structure is regular but both morphemes are specialized technical terms not known to most learners.

Etymology

Phenylalanine breaks into phenyl and alanine. Phenyl names a small 'ring' part often found in chemicals, and alanine is a simple 'amino acid', so phenylalanine is the amino acid that has a phenyl 'ring' attached — this helps explain why it is a building block of proteins and is turned into tyrosine in the body.