tryptophan
an essential amino acid, (C8H6N)CH2CH(NH2)COOH, colorless, crystalline, and aromatic, released from proteins by tryptic digestion and a precursor of serotonin. Abbreviation: Trp; Symbol: W
Origin of tryptophan
1- Also tryp·to·phane [trip-tuh-feyn]. /ˈtrɪp təˌfeɪn/.
Words Nearby tryptophan
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tryptophan in a sentence
Turkey does have a lot of tryptophan, but so does chicken, fish, cheese, and eggs—tryptophan levels aren’t enough to explain how sleepy you feel after overeating at Thanksgiving.
The extreme consequences of stuffing yourselves during the holidays | Christina Agapakis | November 19, 2021 | Popular-ScienceCells in the brain convert tryptophan first into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel happy, and then into melatonin, which makes you sleepy.
The extreme consequences of stuffing yourselves during the holidays | Christina Agapakis | November 19, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThat’s because it helps decrease levels of tryptophan in the brain.
ART scanned through nearly 8,000 combinations of biochemical pathways to produce tryptophan, and recommended based on probabilities a way to double the chemical’s production.
How Machine Learning Made Hops-Free Hoppy Beer (and Other SynBio Wonders) Possible | Shelly Fan | October 6, 2020 | Singularity HubAnother set of training data, programming cells to make the protein component tryptophan, allowed ART to tease out the interaction between five different genes.
How Machine Learning Made Hops-Free Hoppy Beer (and Other SynBio Wonders) Possible | Shelly Fan | October 6, 2020 | Singularity Hub
Spaghetti squash also contains specific nutrients that help convert the tryptophan in other foods you eat into serotonin.
6 Healthy Foods to Fight the Flu, Beat Stress and More | DailyBurn | February 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTo be sure, tryptophan as a white pill, not a slab of white meat, is used by some as a sleeping aid.
Eat Turkey All You Want! It’s Not Going to Put You to Sleep | Kent Sepkowitz | November 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTSo tryptophan at pretty big doses is a routine part of being a human on planet Earth.
Eat Turkey All You Want! It’s Not Going to Put You to Sleep | Kent Sepkowitz | November 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTProbably not—the tryptophan story provides us with the perfect cover for the real reason we so love the holiday.
Eat Turkey All You Want! It’s Not Going to Put You to Sleep | Kent Sepkowitz | November 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe premise is this: turkey is chock-full of a soporific essential amino acid, tryptophan, one of the 22 essential amino acids.
Eat Turkey All You Want! It’s Not Going to Put You to Sleep | Kent Sepkowitz | November 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTTrypsin: solution of small shreds of fresh fibrin in neutral and alkaline media, and tryptophan test.
A test for the production of tryptophan was reported positive.
British Dictionary definitions for tryptophan
/ (ˈtrɪptəˌfæn) /
an essential amino acid; a component of proteins necessary for growth
Origin of tryptophan
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for tryptophan
[ trĭp′tə-făn′ ]
An essential amino acid. Chemical formula: C11H12N2O2. See more at amino acid.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse