Valine (symbol Val or V) is an α-

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...

that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-

amino group In chemistry, amines (, ) are compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are formally derivatives of ammonia (), wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent such ...

(which is in the protonated −NH₃⁺ form under biological conditions), an α- carboxylic acid group (which is in the deprotonated −COO⁻ form under biological conditions), and a side chain

isopropyl group In organic chemistry, propyl is a three-carbon alkyl substituent with chemical formula for the linear form. This substituent form is obtained by removing one hydrogen atom attached to the terminal carbon of propane. A propyl substituent is ofte ...

, making it a

non-polar In chemistry, polarity is a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end. Polar molecules must contain one or more pola ...

aliphatic In organic chemistry, hydrocarbons ( compounds composed solely of carbon and hydrogen) are divided into two classes: aromatic compounds and aliphatic compounds (; G. ''aleiphar'', fat, oil). Aliphatic compounds can be saturated, like hexane, ...

amino acid. It is essential in humans, meaning the body cannot synthesize it: it must be obtained from the diet. Human dietary sources are foods that contain protein, such as meats, dairy products, soy products, beans and legumes. It is

encoded In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...

by all codons starting with GU (GUU, GUC, GUA, and GUG).

History and etymology

Valine was first isolated from

casein Casein ( , from Latin ''caseus'' "cheese") is a family of related phosphoproteins ( αS1, aS2, β, κ) that are commonly found in mammalian milk, comprising about 80% of the proteins in cow's milk and between 20% and 60% of the proteins in hum ...

in 1901 by

Hermann Emil Fischer Hermann Emil Louis Fischer (; 9 October 1852 – 15 July 1919) was a German chemist and 1902 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He discovered the Fischer esterification. He also developed the Fischer projection, a symbolic way of dra ...

. The name valine comes from

valeric acid Valeric acid or pentanoic acid is a straight-chain alkyl carboxylic acid with the chemical formula . Like other low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids, it has an unpleasant odor. It is found in the perennial flowering plant ''Valeriana officin ...

, which in turn is named after the plant valerian due to the presence of the acid in the roots of the plant.

Nomenclature

According to

IUPAC The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...

, carbon atoms forming valine are numbered sequentially starting from 1 denoting the

carboxyl In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...

carbon, whereas 4 and 4' denote the two terminal

methyl In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemical formula . In formulas, the group is often abbreviated as Me. This hydrocarbon group occurs in many ...

carbons.

Metabolism

Source and biosynthesis

Valine, like other branched-chain amino acids, is synthesized by plants, but not by animals. It is therefore an

essential amino acid An essential amino acid, or indispensable amino acid, is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized from scratch by the organism fast enough to supply its demand, and must therefore come from the diet. Of the 21 amino acids common to all life form ...

in animals, and needs to be present in the diet. Adult humans require about 24 mg/kg body weight daily. It is synthesized in plants and bacteria via several steps starting from pyruvic acid. The initial part of the pathway also leads to

leucine Leucine (symbol Leu or L) is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Leucine is an α-amino acid, meaning it contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH3+ form under biological conditions), an α- ca ...

. The intermediate α-ketoisovalerate undergoes

reductive amination Reductive amination (also known as reductive alkylation) is a form of amination that involves the conversion of a carbonyl group to an amine via an intermediate imine. The carbonyl group is most commonly a ketone or an aldehyde. It is considered ...

with

glutamate Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can syn ...

. Enzymes involved in this biosynthesis include: #

Acetolactate synthase The acetolactate synthase (ALS) enzyme (also known as acetohydroxy acid or acetohydroxyacid synthase, abbr. AHAS) is a protein found in plants and micro-organisms. ALS catalyzes the first step in the synthesis of the branched-chain amino acids ( ...

(also known as acetohydroxy acid synthase) # Acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase #

Dihydroxyacid dehydratase The enzyme dihydroxy-acid dehydratase () catalyzes the chemical reaction :2,3-dihydroxy-3-methylbutanoate \rightleftharpoons 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate + H2O This enzyme participates in valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis and pantothenat ...

# Valine aminotransferase

Degradation

Like other branched-chain amino acids, the catabolism of valine starts with the removal of the amino group by

transamination Transamination is a chemical reaction that transfers an amino group to a ketoacid to form new amino acids. This pathway is responsible for the deamination of most amino acids. This is one of the major degradation pathways which convert essential ...

, giving alpha-ketoisovalerate, an alpha-

keto acid In organic chemistry, keto acids or ketoacids (also called oxo acids or oxoacids) are organic compounds that contain a carboxylic acid group () and a ketone group ().Franz Dietrich Klingler, Wolfgang Ebertz "Oxocarboxylic Acids" in Ullmann's E ...

, which is converted to

isobutyryl-CoA Isobutyryl-coenzyme A is a starting material for many natural products derived from Poly-Ketide Synthase (PKS) assembly lines, as well as PKS-NRPS hybrid assembly lines. These products can often be used as antibiotics. Notably, it is also an interm ...

through

oxidative decarboxylation Oxidative decarboxylation is a decarboxylation reaction caused by oxidation. Most are accompanied by α- Ketoglutarate α- Decarboxylation caused by dehydrogenation of hydroxyl carboxylic acids such as carbonyl carboxylic acid, malic acid, isocitr ...

by the

branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex The branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC or BCKDH complex) is a multi-subunit complex of enzymes that is found on the mitochondrial inner membrane. This enzyme complex catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of branched, short- ...

. This is further oxidised and rearranged to

succinyl-CoA Succinyl-coenzyme A, abbreviated as succinyl-CoA () or SucCoA, is a thioester of succinic acid and coenzyme A. Sources It is an important intermediate in the citric acid cycle, where it is synthesized from α-ketoglutarate by α-ketoglutarate d ...

, which can enter the

citric acid cycle The citric acid cycle (CAC)—also known as the Krebs cycle or the TCA cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle)—is a series of chemical reactions to release stored energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and protein ...

Synthesis

Racemic In chemistry, a racemic mixture, or racemate (), is one that has equal amounts of left- and right-handed enantiomers of a chiral molecule or salt. Racemic mixtures are rare in nature, but many compounds are produced industrially as racemates. ...

valine can be synthesized by bromination of isovaleric acid followed by amination of the α-bromo derivative :HO₂CCH₂CH(CH₃)₂ + Br₂ → HO₂CCHBrCH(CH₃)₂ + HBr :HO₂CCHBrCH(CH₃)₂ + 2 NH₃ → HO₂CCH(NH₂)CH(CH₃)₂ + NH₄Br

Medical significance

Insulin resistance

Valine, like other branched-chain amino acids, is associated with weight loss and decreased insulin resistance: higher levels of valine are observed in the blood of diabetic mice, rats, and humans. Mice fed a valine diet for one day have improved insulin sensitivity, and feeding of a valine diet for one week significantly decreases blood glucose levels. In diet-induced obese and insulin resistant mice, a diet with decreased levels of valine and the other branched-chain amino acids results in a rapid reversal of the adiposity and an improvement in glucose-level control. The valine catabolite 3-hydroxyisobutyrate promotes insulin sensitivity in mice by stimulating fatty acid uptake into muscle and lipid reduction. In humans, a protein rich diet decreases fasting blood glucose levels.

Hematopoietic stem cells

Dietary valine is essential for

hematopoietic stem cell Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the stem cells that give rise to other blood cells. This process is called haematopoiesis. In vertebrates, the very first definitive HSCs arise from the ventral endothelial wall of the embryonic aorta within t ...

(HSC) self-renewal, as demonstrated by experiments in mice. Dietary valine restriction selectively depletes long-term repopulating HSC in mouse bone marrow. Successful stem cell transplantation was achieved in mice without irradiation after 3 weeks on a valine restricted diet. Long-term survival of the transplanted mice was achieved when valine was returned to the diet gradually over a 2-week period to avoid refeeding syndrome.

References

External links

Valine MS SpectrumValine's relationship to prions
{{Use dmy dates, date=March 2018 Branched-chain amino acids Proteinogenic amino acids Glucogenic amino acids Essential amino acids Isopropyl compounds Substances discovered in the 1900s