amino acids

Cultural  

1. Basic organic molecules (see also organic molecule) that combine to form proteins. Amino acids are made up of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. Some examples of amino acids are lysine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan.

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Amino acids are the basic molecular building blocks of proteins.

Example Sentences

Ingest a small but powerful tab of L.A.-grown protein-rich amino acids optimized to enhance their longevity and fat-burning properties, and let the aminos take you away.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Technically speaking, peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as messengers in the body.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

For years, scientists have known that many Archaea can produce pyrrolysine, giving them 21 amino acids to work with instead of the usual 20.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

However, the body makes its own collagen from the amino acids found in dietary protein and so protein from sources such as beans and lentils can provide the amino acids needed for collagen production.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

A particular sequence of DNA—ACT-GAC-CAC-GTG—was therefore used to build an RNA chain, and the RNA chain was translated into a chain of amino acids, ultimately leading to the construction of a protein.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee