L-amino acids
Left-handed protein precursors
L-amino acids are the molecular form of amino acids found in virtually all proteins in living organisms.
Amino acids can exist in two mirror-image configurations—L and D—like left and right hands.
Life on Earth uses almost exclusively the L form for building proteins, though the reason for this preference remains one of biology's fundamental mysteries.
All twenty standard amino acids in human proteins are L-amino acids.
- proteinsAmino acid polymers
- peptidesBonded amino acid sequences
- alanineBasic amino acid
- leucineEssential branched-chain amino acid
- ribosomesCellular translation machinery
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