Table of standard amino acid abbreviations and properties[edit]

Main article: Proteinogenic amino acid

Cod
ing
in
Si Sid the
e Oc Sta
d Si Ab cur
e ch M nda
de Hy sor ren
c ain ε at W rd
Am 3- 1- ch dro ban ce Gen
le le h ain ch pat ce λmax( (w
ino ai in etic
tt tt arg hy mM−1 ei
aci n pol e λmax g pro Cod
d er[ er[ ind cm−1) e
130] 130] ari (p (n [132]
ht tei
ex[1 (usi
cl ty[1 H 31] m)[1 ) ns
a
30] 32]
(%)[ ng I
7.4 133]
s UP
)[130]
s AC
not
atio
n)
Alani aliph nonp neutr 89.0
Ala A 1.8 8.76 GCN
ne atic olar al 94
MGN,
CGY
(codin
g
codon
s can
Argini basi basic positi 174.
Arg R −4.5 5.78 also
ne c polar ve 203
be
expres
sed
by:
CGN,
AGR)
Aspar ami neutr 132.
Asn N polar −3.5 3.93 AAY
agine de al 119
Aspar acidi
negat 133.
tic Asp D acid c −3.5 5.49 GAY
ive 104
acid polar
sulfu
r-
Cyste nonp neutr 121.
Cys C cont 2.5 250 0.3 1.38 UGY
ine olar al 154
ainin
g
Gluta ami neutr 146.
Gln Q polar −3.5 3.9 CAR
mine de al 146
 Cod
ing
in
Si Sid the
e Oc Sta
d Si Ab cur
e ch M nda
de Hy sor ren
c ain ε at W rd
Am 3- 1- ch dro ban ce Gen
le le h ain ch pat ce λmax( (w
ino ai in etic
tt tt arg hy mM−1 ei
aci n pol e λmax g pro Cod
d er[ er[ ind cm−1) e
130] 130] ari (p (n [132]
ht tei
ex[1 (usi
cl ty[1 H 31] m)[1 ) ns
30] 32]
a (%)[ ng I
7.4
s
133]
UP
)[130]
s AC
not
atio
n)
Gluta acidi
negat 147.
mic Glu E acid c −3.5 6.32 GAR
ive 131
acid polar
Glyci aliph nonp neutr 75.0
Gly G −0.4 7.03 GGN
ne atic olar al 67
positi
basi
ve(10
c
Histid basic %) 155.
His H aro −3.2 211 5.9 2.26 CAY
ine polar neutr 156
mati
al(90
c
%)
Isoleu aliph nonp neutr 131.
Ile I 4.5 5.49 AUH
cine atic olar al 175
YUR,
CUY
(codin
g
codon
s can
Leuci aliph nonp neutr 131.
Leu L 3.8 9.68 also
ne atic olar al 175
be
expres
sed
by:
CUN,
UUR)
Lysin basi basic positi 146.
Lys K −3.9 5.19 AAR
e c polar ve 189
sulfu
Methi nonp neutr 149.
Met M r- 1.9 2.32 AUG
onine olar al 208
cont
 Cod
ing
in
Si Sid the
e Oc Sta
d Si Ab cur
e ch M nda
de Hy sor ren
c ain ε at W rd
Am 3- 1- ch dro ban ce Gen
le le h ain ch pat ce λmax( (w
ino ai in etic
tt tt arg hy mM−1 ei
aci n pol e λmax g pro Cod
d er[ er[ ind cm−1) e
130] 130] ari (p (n [132]
ht tei
ex[1 (usi
cl ty[1 H 31] m)[1 ) ns
30] 32]
a (%)[ ng I
7.4
s
133]
UP
)[130]
s AC
not
atio
n)
ainin
g
Phen aro 257, 0.2,
nonp neutr 165.
ylalan Phe F mati 2.8 206, 9.3, 3.87 UUY
olar al 192
ine c 188 60.0
Prolin cycli nonp neutr 115.
Pro P −1.6 5.02 CCN
e c olar al 132
hydr
oxyl-
Serin neutr 105. UCN,
Ser S cont polar −0.8 7.14
e al 093 AGY
ainin
g
hydr
oxyl-
Threo neutr 119.
Thr T cont polar −0.7 5.53 ACN
nine al 119
ainin
g
Trypt aro
nonp neutr 280, 5.6, 204.
opha Trp W mati −0.9 1.25 UGG
olar al 219 47.0 228
n c
aro 274, 1.4,
Tyros neutr 181.
Tyr Y mati polar −1.3 222, 8.0, 2.91 UAY
ine al 191
c 193 48.0
Valin aliph nonp neutr 117.
Val V 4.2 6.73 GUN
e atic olar al 148

Two additional amino acids are in some species coded for by codons that are usually interpreted
as stop codons:
 21st and 22nd amino acids 3-letter 1-letter MW (weight)

Selenocysteine Sec U 168.064

Pyrrolysine Pyl O 255.313

In addition to the specific amino acid codes, placeholders are used in cases
where chemical or crystallographic analysis of a peptide or protein cannot conclusively
determine the identity of a residue. They are also used to summarise conserved protein
sequence motifs. The use of single letters to indicate sets of similar residues is similar to the use
of abbreviation codes for degenerate bases.[134][135]

Ambiguous 3- 1- Amino Acids

Codons Included
amino acids letter letter Included

Any / unknown Xaa X All NNN

Asparagine or
Asx B D, N RAY
aspartic acid

Glutamine or
Glx Z E, Q SAR
glutamic acid

YTR, ATH, CTY (coding codons can also

Leucine or
Xle J I, L be expressed by: CTN, ATH, TTR; MTY,
Isoleucine
YTR, ATA; MTY, HTA, YTG)

V, I, L, F, W,
Hydrophobic Φ NTN, TAY, TGG
Y, M

YWY, TTY, TGG (coding codons can

Aromatic Ω F, W, Y, H
also be expressed by: TWY, CAY, TGG)

Aliphatic (non- VTN, TTR (coding codons can also be

Ψ V, I, L, M
aromatic) expressed by: NTR, VTY)
 Small π P, G, A, S BCN, RGY, GGR

VAN, WCN, CGN, AGY (coding codons

S, T, H, N, Q,
Hydrophilic ζ can also be expressed by: VAN, WCN,
E, D, K, R
MGY, CGP)

Positively charged + K, R, H ARR, CRY, CGR

Negatively
− D, E GAN
charged