AMINO ACID PROPERTIES AND CHARACTERISTICS


Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartate, Cysteine, Glutamic, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Threonine, Tryptophane, Tyrosine, Valine

Return to Tutorial


Entries have the following form:

Amino Acid (Codes), Frequency
Genetic Codons
Substitution Probabilities
Residue Weight(Mr)
Residue Volume(Vr)
Partial Specific Volume(vr)
Hydration(hr)
R-Group pKa
Extinction Coefficient @ maximum wavelength


Units are:

	Substitutions (each > sign = factor of 10> than random chance)
	Mr (Daltons),
	Vr (cubic Angstroms),
	vr (cc/g),
	hr (moles/mole)

Sources are:

	Frequencies: McCaldon & Argos, Proteins 4, 91-122(1988)
	Substitutions: Dayhoff, Swartz & Orcutt, Atlas of Protein Sequence
		       and Structure, Vol. 5, Supplement 3 (1978)
	Residue Weight: Cohn & Edsal, Proteins, Amino Acids and Peptides,
			Reinhold, New York (1943)
	Residue Volume: Creighton, Proteins Structure and Molecular
			Properties, W. H. Freeman & Co., NY (1994), p.4
	Specific Volume: Cohn & Edsal, ref. cited
	Hydration:      Bigelow, J. Theoretical Biology 16, 187-211 (1971)
	R-Group pKa's:  Tanford, Adv. Protein Chem. 17, 69-165 (1962)
	Extinction Coefficients: Bailey, Ph.D. Thesis, London University
				 (1966) as reported by the Handbook of
				 Biochemistry

Acidic R-groups

(also strong hydrogen and ionic bonding acceptors):

Aspartate (Asp, D), 5.3%
GAU, GAC
E>N Q>G H
Mr = 114.08
Vr = 91
vr = 0.6
hr = 6
pKa = 4.5
Return to top of document.

Glutamate (Glu, E), 6.2%
GAA, GAG
D > Q > H N
Mr = 128.11
Vr = 109
vr = 0.66
hr = 7.5
pKa = 4.6
Return to top of document.


Basic R-groups

(also strong hydrogen and ionic bonding donars):

Lysine (Lys , K), 5.7%
AAA, AAG
R >> N Q
Mr = 129.19
Vr = 135
vr = 0.82
hr = 4.5
pKa = 10.4
Return to top of document.

Arginine (Arg , R), 5.7%
CGU, CGC, CGA, CGG, AGA, AGG
K > W H > Q
Mr = 157.2
Vr = 148
vr = 0.7
hr = 3
pKa = ~12
Return to top of document.

Histidine (His , H), 2.3%
CAU, CAC
Q > N R > D E
Mr = 138.16
Vr = 118
vr = 0.67
hr = 4
pKa = 6.2
5860 @ 211.3
Return to top of document.


Polar, Uncharged

(hydrogen bonding, except glycine):

Glycine (Gly , G), 7.2%
GGU, GGC, GGA, GGG
A D S
Mr = 57.07
Vr = 48
vr = 0.64
hr = 1
Return to top of document.

Serine (Ser , S), 6.9%
UCU, UCC, UCA, UCG, AGU, AGC
A G N P T
Mr = 87.09
Vr = 73
vr = 0.74
hr = 2
Return to top of document.

Threonine (Thr , T), 5.8%
ACU, ACC, ACA, ACG
A S
Mr = 101.12
Vr = 93
vr = 0.70
hr = 2
About the 2nd Assymetric Center.
Return to top of document.

Cysteine (Cys , C), 1.7%
UGU, UGC
none
Mr = 103.15
Vr = 86
vr = 0.61
hr = 1
pKa = 9.1 to 9.5
Return to top of document.

Tyrosine (Tyr , Y), 3.2%
UAU, UAC
F >>>>>>
Mr = 163.12
Vr = 141
vr = 0.61
hr = 3
pKa = 9.6
1420 @ 274.6
Return to top of document.

Asparagine (Asn , N), 4.4%
AAU, AAC
D H >K
Mr = 114.1
Vr = 96
vr = 0.62
hr = 2
Return to top of document.

Glutamine (Gln , Q), 4.0%
CAA, CAG
H >D
Mr = 128.14
Vr = 114
vr = 0.67
hr = 2
Return to top of document.


Non-Polar:

Alanine (Ala , A), 8.3%
GCU, GCC, GCA, GCG
G S T P
Mr = 71.09
Vr = 67
vr = 0.74
hr = 1
Return to top of document.

Valine (Val , V), 6.6%
GUU, GUC, GUA, GUG
I >>L M >>
Mr = 99.15
Vr = 105
vr = 0.86
hr = 1
Return to top of document.

Leucine (Leu , L), 9.0%
UUA, UUG, CUU, CUG, CUA, CUG
M >>F I V >>
Mr = 113.18
Vr = 124
vr = 0.90
hr = 1
Return to top of document.

Isoleucine (Ile , I), 5.2%
AUU, AUC, AUA
V >> M L > F
Mr = 113.18
Vr = 124
vr = 0.90
hr = 1
About the 2nd Assymetric Center.
Return to top of document.

Proline (Pro ,P), 5.1%
CCU, CCC, CCA, CCG
A S
Mr = 97.13
Vr = 90
vr = 0.76
hr = 3
Return to top of document.

Phenylalanine (Phe , F), 3.9%
UUU, UUC
Y>>>>>L> I
Mr = 147.19
Vr = 135
vr = 0.77
hr = 0
197 @ 257.4
Return to top of document.

Tryptophane (Trp , W), 1.3%
UGG
R >
Mr = 186.23
Vr = 163
vr = 0.74
hr = 2
5600 @ 279.8
Return to top of document.

Methionine (Met , M), 2.4%
AUG
L>> I V>>
Mr = 131.21
Vr = 124
vr = 0.75
hr = 1
Return to top of document.