Trimethylgycine

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What is Trimethylgycine?

Trimethylgycine, more commonly known as TMG is an organic compound found in several plants such as, quinoa, spinach, beets, and wheat bran. [1]

Trimethylgycine's Functions

Betaine has three known functions in mammals: It is an organic osmolyte that accumulates in renal medullary cells and some other tissues to balance extracellular hypertonicity. Second, it acts as a chaperone to stabilise protein structure under denaturing conditions. Third, it serves as a methyl donor in the betaine homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) reaction, which converts homocysteine to methionine. Betaine is also present as an osmolyte in high concentrations (10s of millimolar) in many marine invertebrates, such as crustaceans and molluscs, and acts as a potent appetitive attractant to generalist carnivores such as the predatory sea-slug Pleurobranchaea californica[1].