Tryptophan (symbol Trp or W) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Tryptophan contains an α-amino group, an α-carboxylic acid group, and a side chain indole, making it a polar molecule with a non-polar aromatic beta carbon substituent. Amino acids, including tryptophan, are used as building blocks in protein biosynthesis, and proteins are required to sustain life. Tryptophan is among the less common amino acids found in proteins, but it plays important structural or functional roles whenever it occurs. For instance, tryptophan and tyrosine residues play special roles in "anchoring" membrane proteins within the cell membrane. Tryptophan, along with other aromatic amino acids, is also important in glycan-protein interactions. Here you can see the tryptophan residues in an hydrophobic core of the endo-beta xylanase GH11 from Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum (PDB code: 8X1D)

#molecularart ... #tryptophan ... #core ... #center .. #xylanase ... #xray

Structure rendered with @proteinimaging and depicted with @corelphotopaint