cysteine

noun

cys·te·ine | \ ˈsi-stə-ˌēn

Definition of cysteine

: a crystalline sulfur-containing amino acid C₃H₇NO₂S readily oxidizable to cystine

Examples of cysteine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The technology attaches fragments of potential small molecule drugs to another molecule that binds to cysteine, one of the amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Scripps' Ben Cravatt elected to National Academy of Medicine," 16 Oct. 2017 Plants use sulfur to manufacture cysteine and methionine, two amino acids important for producing protein. — Patrick Di Justo, WIRED, "What's Inside Sta-Green Planting Mix? Masterful Decomposition.," 28 July 2010 Eggs are an awesome source of cysteine, which helps break down a headache-causing toxin that's produced when your body digests alcohol. — Elizabeth Narins, Cosmopolitan, "18 Expert-Tested Ways to Prevent a Hangover," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cysteine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.