Tags: Chemical Compound, Chemical Substance.
Tyrosine (abbreviated as Tyr or Y) or 4-hydroxyphenylalanine is one of the 22 amino acids that are used by cells to synthesize proteins. Its codons are UAC and UAU. It is a non-essential amino acid with a polar side group. The word tyrosine is from the Greek tyros meaning cheese as it was first discovered in 1846 by German chemist Justus von Liebig in the protein casein from cheese. It is called tyrosyl when referred to as a functional group or side chain.
