Valine

Valine is an essential branched-chain amino acid incorporated into proteins and metabolized for energy. Humans must obtain it from food because they cannot synthesize it.

Amino acid: An organic molecule with amino and carboxyl groups; amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Valine is one of the amino acids joined into proteins.
Branched-chain amino acid catabolism: The enzymatic breakdown of valine, leucine, and isoleucine into metabolites used for energy or biosynthesis. Valine is degraded through this shared pathway.
Essential amino acid: An amino acid that an organism cannot synthesize in sufficient amounts and must obtain from its diet. Humans must get valine from food.
Leucine: An essential branched-chain amino acid with a hydrophobic isobutyl side chain. Leucine shares valine’s branched-chain classification but yields acetyl-CoA and acetoacetate.
Branched-chain amino acid: An amino acid with a branched aliphatic side chain, including valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Valine belongs to this structural and metabolic group.
Branched-chain aminotransferase: An enzyme that transfers an amino group from branched-chain amino acids to alpha-ketoglutarate. It catalyzes valine’s first step in human catabolism.
Dietary reference intake: A set of nutrient intake standards used to assess and plan diets for populations and individuals. Valine requirements are considered within recommended total protein and amino-acid intake.
Isoleucine: An essential branched-chain amino acid with a hydrophobic sec-butyl side chain. Isoleucine is valine’s close structural relative and has both ketogenic and glucogenic products.
Proteinogenic amino acid: An amino acid encoded by the genetic code and incorporated into proteins during translation. Valine is one of the standard amino acids used during protein synthesis.
Branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex: A mitochondrial enzyme complex that oxidatively decarboxylates branched-chain amino-acid-derived keto acids. It processes the keto acid produced from valine after transamination.

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ThreonineCompared with: Valine contrasts with threonine's polar, hydroxyl-bearing side chain.