Editing Alanine (section)

== Structure ==
Alanine is an [[aliphatic compound|aliphatic]] amino acid, because the side-chain connected to the [[alpha carbon|α-carbon]] atom is a [[methyl]] group (-CH<sub>3</sub>). Alanine is the simplest α-amino acid after [[glycine]]. The methyl side-chain of alanine is non-reactive and is therefore hardly ever directly involved in protein function.<ref>{{cite book | veditors = Patna BK, Kara TC, Ghosh SN, Dalai AK |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MITRpqnrHYQC&pg=PT47|title=Textbook of Biotechnology |date=2012 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education |isbn=978-0-07-107007-2 |language=en}}</ref> Alanine is a [[essential amino acid|nonessential amino acid]], meaning it can be manufactured by the human body, and does not need to be obtained through the diet. Alanine is found in a wide variety of foods, but is particularly concentrated in meats.