# What is your favorite amino acid? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759 "2009-06-05T01:02:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/1 "2009-06-05T01:02:40Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![bink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bink)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/2 "2009-06-05T03:13:42Z")
I’d have to say glutamine. I like carnitine okay, but the waxy crayon taste is kind of offputting. ---
**Author:** ![wunderkammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@wunderkammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wunderkammer)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/3 "2009-06-05T03:25:17Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/4 "2009-06-05T03:30:52Z")
My mom says that her favorite is tyrosine. Something about immuno-globby motifs or something and auto-phosphorization jumpstarting cell signalling. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/5 "2009-06-05T04:08:37Z")
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!) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/6 "2009-06-05T04:42:39Z")
Threonine, because that’s the area code of the place I grew up. ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/7 "2009-06-05T04:56:25Z")
I have a special place in my heart for selenocysteine and pyrrolysine, for being nice little edge cases for stumping undergrads with. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/8 "2009-06-05T05:08:14Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > My mom says that her favorite is tyrosine. _Quelle horreur!_ Melanoma is nobody’s friend! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/9 "2009-06-05T05:25:27Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > _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! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/10 "2009-06-05T08:21:21Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Phenylalanine. > > Because it’s fun to say. Me too. Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/11 "2009-06-05T10:40:29Z")
Glycine, because it’s the only one that swings both ways. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/12 "2009-06-05T11:37:53Z")
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!” ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/13 "2009-06-05T13:50:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/14 "2009-06-05T14:19:59Z")
Science humor - you guys are killing! 😃 for me, this comes under the category of Steve Martin’s plumber joke… > [@](#): > > Ok, I don’t like to gear my material to the audience but I’d like to make an exception because I was told that there is a convention of plumbers in San Francisco this week - I understand about 30 of them came down to the show tonight - so before I came out I worked-up a joke especially for the plumbers. Those of you who aren’t plumbers probably won’t get this and won’t think it’s funny, but I think those of you who are plumbers will really enjoy this… > > This lawn supervisor was out on a sprinkler maintenance job and he started working on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom 7" gangly wrench. Just then, this little apprentice leaned over and said, “You can’t work on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom 7” wrench." Well this infuriated the supervisor, so he went and got Volume 14 of the Kinsley manual, and he reads to him and says, “The Langstrom 7” wrench can be used with the Findlay sprocket." Just then, the little apprentice leaned over and said, “It says sprocket not socket!” ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/15 "2009-06-05T14:44:34Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/16 "2009-06-05T15:26:34Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Me too. Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine Phenylalanine. 🙂 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. ---
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/17 "2009-06-05T16:24:07Z")
Valine. Because it indirectly helped create my paycheck for six years. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/18 "2009-06-05T17:09:08Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/19 "2009-06-05T17:40:16Z")
Put me down for l-lysine. ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759/20 "2009-06-06T01:50:36Z")
I’ll go with the pirate’s favorite amino acid – arginine. (I dare you to NOT say “arrrrginine.”) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-amino-acid/498759.md?page=2)