Editing Lysine (section)

==In popular culture==
The 1993 film ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'', which is based on the 1990 novel ''[[Jurassic Park (novel)|Jurassic Park]]'' by [[Michael Crichton]], features [[dinosaur]]s that were [[Genetic engineering|genetically altered]] so that they could not produce lysine, an example of engineered [[auxotrophy]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Coyne | first = Jerry A. | name-list-style = vanc | title = The Truth Is Way Out There | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 10 October 1999 | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DE6D7153EF933A25753C1A96F958260 |url-access=subscription | access-date = 2008-04-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110071830/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/10/books/the-truth-is-way-out-there.html |archive-date= Nov 10, 2012  }}</ref> This was known as the "lysine contingency" and was supposed to prevent the [[Cloning|cloned]] dinosaurs from surviving outside the park, forcing them to depend on lysine supplements provided by the park's veterinary staff. In reality, no animal can produce lysine; it is an [[essential amino acid]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wu G | title = Amino acids: metabolism, functions, and nutrition | journal = Amino Acids | volume = 37 | issue = 1 | pages = 1–17 | date = May 2009 | pmid = 19301095 | doi = 10.1007/s00726-009-0269-0 | s2cid = 1870305 }}</ref>

In 1996, lysine became the focus of a [[Lysine price-fixing conspiracy|price-fixing case]], the largest in United States history. The [[Archer Daniels Midland Company]] paid a fine of US$100&nbsp;million, and three of its executives were convicted and served prison time. Also found guilty in the price-fixing case were two Japanese firms ([[Ajinomoto]], Kyowa Hakko) and a South Korean firm (Sewon).<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Connor JM | title = Global Price Fixing | edition = 2nd | publisher = Springer-Verlag | location = Heidelberg | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-3-540-78669-6 }}</ref> Secret video recordings of the conspirators fixing lysine's price can be found online or by requesting the video from the [[U.S. Department of Justice]], Antitrust Division. This case gave the basis for the book ''[[The Informant (book)|The Informant: A True Story]]'',<ref>{{cite book | last = Eichenwald | first = Kurt | name-list-style = vanc | title = The Informant: a true story | publisher = Broadway Books | location = New York | date = 2000 | isbn = 978-0-7679-0326-4 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/informanttruest00eich }}</ref> and the movie ''[[The Informant!]]''.

In the 2009 episode of the [[United States|American]] [[sitcom]], [[The Big Bang Theory]], entitled [[The Big Bang Theory season 2|The Friendship Algorithm]], [[Sheldon Cooper|Sheldon]] is trying to befriend his work nemesis, [[Barry Kripke]], to get time on some equipment he needs for an experiment. He gives his current group of friends a [[questionnaire]] so that he may get some insight into why they are friends. One of the questions is, "What is Sheldon's favorite amino acid?" [[Raj Koothrappali|Raj]] states that he had lysine, which is Sheldon's favorite, but changed it.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Big Bang Theory The Friendship Algorithm Quotes |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1256023/quotes/?item=qt1067095 |website=IMDB |publisher=IMDB |access-date=14 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Big Bang Theory – Season 2, Episode 13 The Friendship Algorithm |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_big_bang_theory/s02/e13 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=14 February 2025}}</ref>