# antidisestablishmentarianism **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 14, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidisestablishmentarianism/791204 "2017-07-14T00:56:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr\_write](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mr\_write](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_write)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidisestablishmentarianism/791204/1 "2017-07-14T00:56:01Z")
I find 1,942 characters for the long chemical name. The article has this: > [@](#): > > The full name of the tryptophan synthetase A protein, an enzyme with 267 amino acids, extends to 1,913 letters: > methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylalanyla lanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylglycylalany lphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylvalylthreonylleucylglycylaspa rtylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleu cylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspar tylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylser ylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonyliso leucylglutaminylaspfraginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylpheny lalanylalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcyste inylphenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylargin ylglutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylgl ycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalylpheny lalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalany ltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylva lylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylglu taminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutaminylalan ylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanylprolylisoleucy lphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanylaspartyl aspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryl tyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylseryl arginylalanylglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparag inylarginylalanylalanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidylleucy lvalylalanyllysylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalany lprolylprolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylser ylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylas partylalanylglycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylser ylalanylisoleucylvalyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhi stidylasparaginylisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethio nylleucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylp rolylmethionyllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine. [I copied the word and plugged it into a text editor which counts visible characters, and it shows 1942 as the total.] The word should actually be spelled: methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamylserylleucylphenylalanylalanylglutaminylleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylglycylalanylphenylalanylvalylprolylphenylalanylvalylthreonylleucylglycylaspartylprolylglycylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylserylleucyllysylisoleucylaspartylthreonylleucylisoleucylglutamylalanylglycylalanylaspartylalanylleucylglutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylserylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylprolylthreonylisoleucylglutaminylasparaginylalanylthreonylleucylarginylalanylphenylalanylalanylalanylglycylvalylthreonylprolylalanylglutaminylcysteinylphenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucylalanylleucylisoleucylarginylglutaminyllysylhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylprolylisoleucylglycylleucylleucylmethionyltyrosylalanylasparaginylleucylvalylphenylalanylasparaginyllysylglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalanyltyrosylalanylglutaminylcysteinylglutamyllysylvalylglycylvalylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalanylaspartylvalylprolylvalylglutaminylglutamylserylalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutaminylalanylalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginylvalylalanylprolylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalanylaspartylaspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginylglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosylglycylarginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrosylleucylleucylserylarginylalanylglycylvalylthreonylglycylalanylglutamylasparaginylarginylalanylalanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidylleucylvalylalanyllysylleucyllysylglutamyltyrosylasparaginylalanylalanylprolylprolylleucylglutaminylglycylphenylalanylglycylisoleucylserylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminylvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalanylglycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylserylglycylserylalanylisoleucylvalyllysylisoleucylisoleucylglutamylglutaminylhistidylasparaginylisoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionylleucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanylvalylglutaminylprolylmethionyllysylalanylalanylthreonylarginylserine. Or could I be wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidisestablishmentarianism/791204/2 "2017-07-14T16:24:04Z")
> [@Mr\_write](#): > > I find 1,942 characters for the long chemical name. > > The article has this: > > [I copied the word and plugged it into a text editor which counts visible characters, and it shows 1942 as the total.] This is interesting. It’s been almost 6 years since your last post here. Why is this topic so fascinating for you? And why didn’t you post a link to the article? By the way, I’m certainly not going to count the characters in that word, and I don’t think anybody else will either. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidisestablishmentarianism/791204/3 "2017-07-14T17:07:13Z")
It’s considered proper to link to the column you’re talking about (and so that no one else has to type that damn word into a search box). > **[What does antidisestablishmentarianism mean?](https://www.straightdope.com/21342542/what-does-antidisestablishmentarianism-mean)** > > A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidisestablishmentarianism/791204/4 "2017-07-14T18:02:45Z")
When I plugged his characters into word and looked at properties, I saw 1942 characters (with spaces) and 1913 characters. Apparently spaces somehow get interpreted in. The original gives 1932 characters (with spaces) and 1913 characters, presumably for the same reason. Sorry. They got it right the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_write](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mr\_write](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_write)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidisestablishmentarianism/791204/5 "2017-07-14T19:26:37Z")
> [@](#): > > This is interesting. It’s been almost 6 years since your last post here. Why is this topic so fascinating for you? And why didn’t you post a link to the article? 1. I post when I have something to add. It is rare when someone else has _not_ already added the same information. 2. Because I write programs that work with word puzzles and text formatting and test text editors. (I also have that word sitting on my hard drive). 3. No excuse for not posting the link. I should have. _Mea culpa._ The text editor I used showed it as all one line. I should have checked for spaces. (Notepad++) My speculation was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidisestablishmentarianism/791204/6 "2017-07-22T17:53:38Z")
That isn’t the longest protein, and in any case no one actually refers to proteins that way. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidisestablishmentarianism/791204/7 "2017-07-22T22:08:32Z")
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