Phenylalanine bound to phe dehydrogenase

The amino acid phenylalanine, shown in yellow, binding to the active site of the enzyme phenylalanine dehydrogenase. The crucial aminoacid side chains lining the active site pocket are labelled. These are responsible for the specificity of the enzyme-substrate interaction. The molecular surfaces are visualised as yellow and white dots and the atoms in the enzyme are coloured as follows: carbon in white, nitrogen in blue and oxygen in red.