Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Lysine
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quick Facts
Related Topics:
Amino acid
cystinuria
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Lysine

chemical compound
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Lysine, an amino acid released in the hydrolysis of many common proteins but present in small amounts or lacking in certain plant proteins; e.g., gliadin from wheat, zein from corn (maize). First isolated from casein (1889), lysine is one of several so-called essential amino acids for warm-blooded animals; i.e., they cannot synthesize it and require dietary sources. (It is formed in plants, algae, and fungi by two distinct biosynthetic pathways.) Human populations dependent on grains as a sole source of dietary protein suffer from lysine deficiency. The chemical structure of lysine islysine, chemical compound

This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.