It can be essential or nonessential, but please—let’s keep the conversation pure. That means no dipepetides—carnosine does not count. Also, no metabolic end-products. We all know that putricine and cadaverine are nifty molecules (yes, you closet necrophiliacs out there—I’m talking about you, and you know who you are), but for the sake of this discourse let’s keep bacterial poop out of it and stick to things that we would want to find in our morning breakfast power bar. And for God’s sake, puhleeeeeze—no wannabee posers! If anybody says “taurine,” I’ll just scream. I know your cat thinks highly of it, but we’re not asking for Fluffy’s opinion here. I think my personal fave is tryptophan. I’ve always been a big fan of the biogenic amines, and I just get a warm and fuzzy feeling just thinking about serotonin. Ooh—now I’m hungry—anybody else?
I’d have to say glutamine. I like carnitine okay, but the waxy crayon taste is kind of offputting.
Glutamate has always been my favorite underappreciated neurotransmitter (and amino acid) because its NMDA receptors are so fun and complicated. (Synaptic plasticity and learning and memory are important, right?)
Not enough glutamate in the world, and we’re either psychotic or just plain comatose, and our junk food is no longer tasty. Not a world I want to live in, either way.
My mom says that her favorite is tyrosine. Something about immuno-globby motifs or something and auto-phosphorization jumpstarting cell signalling.
Phenylalanine.
Because it’s fun to say.
I used to feel a little ashamed that I managed to get a degree in honours biochemistry and still not be able to recall all 20 basic amino acids…now that I’m in engineering, I don’t care anymore. I should have taken that as a sign a long time ago and saved myself a lot of trouble (and money!)
Threonine, because that’s the area code of the place I grew up.
I have a special place in my heart for selenocysteine and pyrrolysine, for being nice little edge cases for stumping undergrads with.
Quelle horreur! Melanoma is nobody’s friend! :eek:
Tyrosine is also the basis of all your biogenic amines, so it’s even more important for signaling than glutamate!
Me too. Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine. 
Glycine, because it’s the only one that swings both ways.
Proline, because it doesn’t take shit from no one. It’ll fuck up your alpha-helix and just look at you like, “Yeah? What are you going to do about it?” And you’re all like, “Aw, man. Nothing, I guess. Sorry, proline.” And then it just sticks its ring structure out at you like, “Yeah, that’s right. Fuck off!”
I like the amino acid that comes with its own 12 step program: Alanine.
But then, can we ever forget the one so popular it spawned its own television show? I love Leucine.
Skaters love proline.
Meditators love the serine ones.
And though I had the sweet vermouth, I went to my neighbor’s house to see if he had any asparagine. He did, which makes it my favorite amino acid.
Science humor - you guys are killing!
for me, this comes under the category of Steve Martin’s plumber joke…
I’d have to say Lysine. Anything that performs a such a major role in the body, plus has shown promise in battling both cold sores and cancer…
Well, that’s almost too impressive for words…
As a Diet Coke addict, I like this train of thought. As a kid, I was always terrified by the bold warning “PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE”, although I didn’t know what it meant.
Valine. Because it indirectly helped create my paycheck for six years.
Always liked tyrosine for some reason, and phenylglycine is a nice non-proteinogenic amino acid.
Proline, though, is deeply impressive. I don’t like it, but I’m full of respect.
Put me down for l-lysine.
I’ll go with the pirate’s favorite amino acid – arginine. (I dare you to NOT say “arrrrginine.”)