Aminolevulinate Dehydratase is a zinc-dependent enzyme that binds two molecules of ALA per subunit, each at a distinct site, and catalyzes their condensation to form porphobilinogen . The enzyme is encoded by the ALAD gene located on chromosome 9 in humans . The enzyme’s activity is essential for the production of heme, an important component of hemoglobin, myoglobin, and various cytochromes.
The enzyme is highly active in the liver and erythroid cells, where heme synthesis is most prominent . It is involved in several biological processes, including:
Deficiency or inhibition of ALAD can lead to various medical conditions, including:
Recombinant ALAD is produced using genetic engineering techniques to express the human ALAD gene in a host organism, such as bacteria or yeast. This allows for the production of large quantities of the enzyme for research and therapeutic purposes. Recombinant ALAD is used in studies to understand the enzyme’s structure, function, and role in various diseases, as well as in the development of potential treatments for conditions related to ALAD deficiency.