Answer to Question #74528 in Chemistry for vyea

Question

How do amino acids differ from L-amino acids ? What biological roles are played by peptides that contains D-amino acids ?

Answer 1

Answer:
Amino acids occur in 2 isomeric forms - L- and D- forms. This is because of the possibility of forming two
different enantiomers (stereoisomers) around the central carbon atom.

Only L-amino acids are manufactured in cells and incorporated into proteins. At the same time, some D-
amino acids are found in the cell walls of bacteria, but not in bacterial proteins.