Scientists unlock mystery of how the 22nd amino acid is produced
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 16:30
in Biology & Nature
The most recently discovered amino acid, pyrrolysine, is produced by a series of just three chemical reactions with a single precursor -- the amino acid lysine, according to new research. Scientists have used mass spectrometry and a series of experiments to discover how cells make the amino acid, a process that until now had been unknown.