Glycine

views updated May 29 2018

Glycine (family Leguminosae, subfamily Papilionatae) A genus of 9 species of herbs that are native to Asia and Australia. G. max is the soya bean, which was probably first domesticated in northeastern China and is now widely cultivated in warm temperate regions, mainly for its oil, the oilseed cake used for live-stock feed, a flour made from the beans, and soy source, which is made from the fermented and processed seeds.

glycine

views updated Jun 27 2018

glycine A non‐essential amino acid, chemically the simplest of the amino acids, it is amino‐acetic acid, CH2NH2COOH. It has a sweet taste (70% of the sweetness of sucrose) and is sometimes mixed with saccharin as a sweetening agent. Known at one time as collagen sugar.

glycine

views updated May 23 2018

glycine A sweet-tasting amino acid that, besides being a component of proteins, is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter for fast synapses in the spinal cord of vertebrates. Glycine is also required for opening of NMDA-type glutamate receptors.

glycine

views updated May 23 2018

gly·cine / ˈglīsēn/ • n. Biochem. the simplest naturally occurring amino acid, H2NCH2COOH. It is a constituent of most proteins.

glycine

views updated May 18 2018

glycine The simplest alpha-amino acid, and the only one not to exhibit optical activity.

glycine

views updated Jun 08 2018

glycine The simplest alpha amino acid, and the only one not to exhibit optical activity.

glycine

views updated Jun 27 2018

glycine (gly-seen) n. see amino acid.