2-Aminoisobutyric acid

2-Aminoisobutyric acid, or α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) or α-methylalanine or 2-methylalanine, is an amino acid with the structural formula is H2N-C(CH3)2-COOH.

It is contained in some antibiotics of fungal origin, eg. alamethicin and some lantibiotics. It is not one of the proteinogenic amino acids and rather rare in nature.

α-Aminoisobutyric acid is a strong helix inducer in peptides. Its oligomers form 3-10 helices.