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phenylalanine
(redirected from Phe)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Wikipedia 0.06 sec.
phenylalanine (fĕn'əlăl`ənēn'), organic compound, one of the 22 α-amino acids amino acid (əmē`nō)
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 commonly found in animal proteins. Only the l-stereoisomer appears in mammalian protein. It is one of several essential amino acids needed in the diet; human beings cannot synthesize it from simpler metabolites. Young adults need about 31 mg of this amino acid per day per kg (14 mg per lb) of body weight. Phenylalanine can be degraded into simpler compounds by the enzymes of the body and is readily converted to the amino acid tyrosine tyrosine (tī`rəsēn), organic compound, one of the 20 amino acids commonly found in animal proteins.
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. Phenylketonuria phenylketonuria (fĕn'əlkēt'ən
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 (PKU), an inherited disease that, if left untreated, results in retarded mental development in children, has been shown to be associated with the lack of activity of the enzyme that converts phenylalanine to tyrosine. This results in the buildup of phenylalanine in the blood, an event leading to several pathological consequences. The incidence of this disease, about one in every 10,000 births, is high enough to have prompted several states to institute regular screening procedures for the detection of the disease in newborns. If diagnosed early the disease can be controlled to a great extent by administering a diet very low in phenylalanine. Phenylalanine contributes to the structure of proteins into which it has been incorporated by the tendency of its side chain to participate in hydrophobic interactions (see isoleucine isoleucine (ī'səl
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). This amino acid was first isolated from a natural source (lupine sprouts) in 1879; it was first chemically synthesized in 1882.

phenylalanine

One of the essential amino acids, present in many common proteins, especially hemoglobin. It is used in medicine and nutrition and as one of the two amino acids making up aspartame. Persons with phenylketonuria do not metabolize phenylalanine properly and must adhere to a diet free of it.



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Although labeling controls to monitor the efficiency of target preparation were not included in the mock data set, the sponsor included proprietary data on the use of polyadenylated transcripts of three Bacillus subtilis genes (lys, phe, and thr, GenBank accession nos.
Most importantly, the ruling and recurring image of nature's appalling indifference is the storm and the lightning bolt, the randomly recurrent tumult of a heaven empty of divine agency The storm is the supreme manifestation of a natural phenomenon which credulous humanity interprets as the hostile will of the gods, and which the Epicurean calmly and rightly confronts as an explicable and unfrightening phe nomenon.
That godfather is Philip Harvey, a Harvard-educated resident of Hillsborough, North Carolina, where he operates PHE, Inc.
 
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