title: Expression of 4alpha-carbinolamine dehydratase in human epidermal keratinocytes.
abstract: 4alpha-Carbinolamine dehydratase is a bifunctional protein involved in the regeneration of tetrahydrobiopterin during the hydroxylation of the aromatic amino acids. It is also a dimerization cofactor of HNF1 and therefore is believed to function as part of the hepatic gene transcription system. In view of the recent discoveries that the distribution and developmental pattern of the dehydratase do not correlate strictly with those of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and HNF1, the hypothesis that the dehydratase may have other unknown functions has been put forward. In the present paper, we demonstrate unambiguously that human epidermal keratinocytes express detectable levels of this protein as indicated by enzyme assay, immunoprecipitation, Western blot, and RT-PCR. Its complete coding sequence has been cloned and was found to be identical with the human liver counterpart. The possible function of the dehydratase in skin is discussed.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: X D
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Woodworth
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johnen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaufman
mesh_terms: D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D006836:Hydro-Lyases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D006836:Hydro-Lyases; C076392:pterin-4a-carbinolamine dehydratase