The molecule is a hydroxy-amino acid consisting of L-threonine having a hydroxy substituent at the 4-position. It has a role as a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite and an Escherichia coli metabolite. It is a L-threonine derivative, a non-proteinogenic L-alpha-amino acid and a hydroxy-amino acid. It is a tautomer of a 4-hydroxy-L-threonine zwitterion.
(2S,3S)-2-amino-3,4-dihydroxybutanoic acid