Cysteine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Cysteine is a naturally occurring hydrophilic ("water loving") amino acid which has a sulfhydryl ("Sulfur" "Hydrogen" group and is found in most proteins. When it is exposed to air it oxidizes to form cystine, which is two cysteine molecules joined by a disulfide bond. One molecule of (H₂) is the byproduct from the creation of each molecule of cystine. It can be taken as a supplement in the form of N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

Cysteine can be synthesized by the body and is not essential to the diet. Its key chemical feature is a thiol group that contains sulfur. This thiol group can combine with the thiol group of another cysteine to form a disulfide bridge, which helps structural proteins and enzymes maintain their configuration. Two cysteine molecules linked by a disulfide bridge make up the amino acid cystine. The symbol for cysteine is Cys.

Symbol: C or Cys

Side chain type: hydrophilic

Mass: 121.16

Isoelectric point: 5.05

External link

• http://www.chemie.fu-berlin.de/chemistry/bio/aminoacid/cystein_en.html

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