Dead enzymes in the aldehyde dehydrogenase gene family: role in drug metabolism and toxicology.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Dead enzymes are gene products (proteins) that lack key residues required for catalytic activity. In the pre-genome era, dead enzymes were thought to occur only rarely. However, they now have been shown to represent upwards of 10% of the total enzyme population in many families. The aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) gene family encodes proteins that, depending on the isozyme, may be either catalytically-active or -inactive. Importantly, several ALDHs exhibit biological activities independent of their catalytic activity. For many of these, the physiological and pathophysiological functions remain to be established.

Areas covered

This article reviews the non-enzymatic functions of the ALDH superfamily. In addition, a search for additional non-catalytic ALDH records is

SUBMITTER: Jackson BC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4937717 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature