asparagine

noun

as·​par·​a·​gine ə-ˈsper-ə-ˌjēn How to pronounce asparagine (audio)
-ˈspa-rə-
: a nonessential amino acid C4H8N2O3 that is an amide of aspartic acid

Examples of asparagine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Others, like asparagine to tyrosine at position 501 (N501Y) and serine to asparagine at position 477 (S477N), have been shown to increase ACE2 affinity by creating new hydrogen bonds. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 28 Jan. 2022 Potatoes can be blanched to reduce sugar content, treated with an enzyme to remove much of the asparagine, or cooked for less time or at lower temperatures. Kendall Powell, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2018 Acrylamide forms when bread is toasted and the amino acid asparagine reacts with sugars at high heat. Kendall Powell, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2018 In both types, a protein backbone is studded with strings of sugars called glycans that are linked to either the amino acid asparagine (N-Glycans) or to the amino acids serine and threonine (O-Glycans). Diana Kwon, Discover Magazine, 9 July 2019 This insertion added the peptide GLTSKRN (glycine-leucine-threonine-serine-lysine-arginine-asparagine) between Spike protein positions 214 and 215. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2021 One changes the amino acid at position 202 from serine to asparagine. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2021 Rothamsted Research this month applied for a permit to field test wheat edited to contain less asparagine, an amino acid that becomes the carcinogen acrylamide when baked. Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, 26 May 2021 And removing asparagine, an amino acid abundant in asparagus, from mouse diets curbed the spread of metastatic breast cancer, suggesting the diet could enhance drug treatments. Jocelyn Kaiser, Science | AAAS, 1 Apr. 2021

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin asparagus

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of asparagine was in 1808

Dictionary Entries Near asparagine

Cite this Entry

“Asparagine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asparagine. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

asparagine

noun
as·​par·​a·​gine ə-ˈspar-ə-ˌjēn How to pronounce asparagine (audio)
: a white crystalline amino acid C4H8N2O3 that is an amide of aspartic acid
abbreviation Asn

More from Merriam-Webster on asparagine

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!