Common Name: Tigerine
IUPAC name: 2-amino-3,5-dimethylhexanoic
acid
Figure 1. Tigerine
Facts:
· This amino acid is found only on
Campbellsville University’s campus!
Basic amino acids play a role in
muscle cells and other tissues along with chemical processes such as
neurotransmitter transport (1). Tigerine stimulate the muscles of CU students
and spreads TIGER PRIDE throughout their bodies. This help students to succeed at CU.
This amino acid is essential for CU
students!
Synthesis of Tigerine:
Synthesis
of this particular amino acid is done through Strecker amino acid synthesis.
Adolph Strecker founded this process, which synthesizes an amino acid from a
aldehyde or ketone (2). The mechanism for Tigerine can be seen below in figure
2.
Figure 2. Mechanism for the Synthesis of Tigerine
Pentapeptide structure:
To
make a peptide bond, the –OH portion of the carboxylic acid and one of the –H
from the amine will break off and form water. This allows the nitrogen from the
amine and the carbon from the carboxylic acid to connect (3). Figure 3 shows
Tigerine connecting with 4 other amino acids in a C-G-(Tigerine)-H-A
pentapeptide chain structure.
Figure 3. Pentapeptide Chain with Tigerine
Sources
1. The
Nemours Foundation. Learning about Proteins.
March 30, 2014).
2. Utah
Valley University. Strecker Synthesis.
http://science.uvu.edu/ochem/index.php/alphabetical/s-t/strecker-synthesis/ (accessed
March 30,
2014).
3. http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/104/peptide.jpg (accessed March
30, 2014).