L-arabinose
|L-ar-a-bi-nose|
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/ˌɛl əˈræbɪnoʊs/
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/ˌel əˈræbɪnəʊs/
L-form of arabinose — a five-carbon (pentose) sugar
Etymology
'L-arabinose' is formed from the prefix 'L-' (denoting the L-stereochemical configuration; from Latin laevus meaning 'left') combined with 'arabinose'. 'Arabinose' was named after gum arabic, the natural source from which the sugar was first isolated.
'Arabinose' was identified in the 19th century from substances such as gum arabic; the name reflects that origin (derived from 'arabic' / gum arabic). The modern term 'L-arabinose' then arose to distinguish the L-enantiomer from its D-counterpart.
Originally the term referred generally to a sugar obtained from gum arabic; over time it became the specific name for a five-carbon aldose (arabinose), and the 'L-' prefix later specified its stereochemical form.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a naturally occurring pentose (five-carbon) aldose sugar in which the stereochemistry is the L-configuration; an enantiomer of D-arabinose. Found in plant polysaccharides (e.g., hemicellulose, pectins) and some glycosides.
L-arabinose is a five-carbon sugar commonly found in plant cell walls.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a biochemical reagent used in microbiology and molecular biology to induce expression from ara (arabinose) promoters in bacteria (i.e., used to regulate ara operon-controlled gene expression).
Researchers added L-arabinose to the culture medium to induce expression of the plasmid-borne gene under an ara promoter.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/31 18:01