Lysine
About Lysine
Lysine is an essential amino acid with a positively charged side chain. It is often the limiting amino acid in cereal grains such as wheat, rice and maize, which is one reason traditional diets combining grains with legumes, which are rich in lysine, provide a more complete protein supply. In the body lysine is needed for protein synthesis, for the cross linking of collagen and elastin through hydroxylysine, for the production of carnitine, and as a site for chemical modifications such as acetylation and methylation of histone proteins that regulate gene expression. Lysine is also added to animal feed. Plant breeders developed quality protein maize, with higher lysine and tryptophan content, and its developers Evangelina Villegas and Surinder Vasal received the World Food Prize in 2000. Lysine supplements have been promoted for preventing cold sore outbreaks caused by herpes simplex virus, but study results have been mixed and evidence remains limited.
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