Arginine

Arginine (Arg or R) is an amino acid present in proteins.

Structure of arginine

Like all of the amino acids, arginine has two functional groups, a carboxyl group (COOH) and an amine group (NH2). It has one of the most complex side chains (CH2-CH2-CH2-NH-CNH-NH2). Arginine is the most basic of the amino acids that in turn form the building blocks of proteins.

Function of arginine

Arginine is not an essential amino acid as it can be produced by the body from glutamate.