Leucine

leucine

[′lü‚sēn]

(biochemistry)

C₆H₁₃O₂N A monocarboxylic essential amino acid obtained by hydrolysis of protein-containing substances such as milk.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Leucine

 

aminoisocaproic acid, a mono-amino-monocar-boxylic acid; colorless crystals. Melting point, 293°-295°C (with decomposition); poorly soluble in cold water; molecular weight, 131.18.

Leucine was first isolated in 1820 from muscle tissue. The natural L-leucine is a component of all animal and plant proteins. It is classified as one of the essential amino acids: the carbon skeleton of its precursor, α-ketoisovalerianic acid, is not synthesized in the human or animal body. An absence of leucine in the food results in a negative nitrogen balance and stops growth in children. The daily leucine requirement for adults and infants is 31 mg per kg and 425 mg per kg, respectively. One of the products of leucine breakdown in the body, β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaric acid (in the form of acyl coenzyme A), is an important intermediate compound in the biosynthesis of cholesterol and other steroids. Leucine is used, together with glutamic acid, methionine, and other amino acids, in the treatment of liver diseases, anemias, and some mental disorders.

REFERENCES

Meister, A. Biokhimiia aminokislot. Moscow, 1961. (Translated from English.)
Kagan, Z. S. “Biosintez leitsina i ego reguliatsiia u mikroorganizmov i rastenii.” Uspekhi biologicheskoi khimii, 1970, vol. 11, pp. 87–106.

T. S. PASKHINA

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.