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The amino acid Phenylalanine exists in two forms, the D- and L- forms. It has a phenyl side chain. L-Phenylalanine(LPA, C₉H₁₂NO₂) is an electrially neutral amino acid found in proteins, coded for by DNA. Its mirror image, D-phenylalanine (DPA), can be synthesized artificially.

L-phenylalanine is used in the human body, where it is an essential amino acid. L-Phenylalanine can also be converted into tyrosine. Tyrosine is converted into L-DOPA, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. D-phenylalanine can only be converted into phenylethylamine.

The genetic disorder phenylketonuria is an inability to metabolize phenylalanine.

The synthesized mix DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA), which is a combination of the D- and L- forms, is used as a nutritional supplement.

Phenylalanine is part of the composition of aspartame, a common sweetener found in prepared foods (particularly soft drinks, and gum). Due to phenylketonuria, products containing aspartame usually have a warning label that they contain phenylalanine, in compliance with U.S. FDA guidelines.

The genetic codeThe genetic code is a set of rules, which maps DNA sequences to proteins in the living cell through the mechanism of protein synthesis. Nearly all living things use the same genetic code, called the standard genetic code and all use small variations of it for phenylanaline was the first codon discovered. Marshall W. Nirenberg discovered that when he inserted RNARNA may also stand for the Republic of New Africa Ribonucleic acid RNA is a nucleic acid consisting of a string of covalently-bound nucleotides. It is biochemically distinguished from DNA by the presence of an additional hydroxyl group, attached to each p made up of multiple uracilUracil is one of the four RNA bases, replacing thymine as found in DNA. Just like thymine, uracil can form a base pair with adenine via two hydrogen bonds, but it lacks the methyl group present in thymine. Uracil, in comparison to thymine, will more readi repeats into E. coli, the bacterium produced a new protein, made up solely of repeated phenylalanine amino acids.