Description
Leukotriene A-4 hydrolase, also known as LTA-4 hydrolase, Leukotriene A (4) hydrolase, LTA4H, and LTA4, is a cytoplasm protein that belongs to the peptidase M1 family. LTA4H hydrolyzes an epoxide moiety of leukotriene A4 (LTA-4) to form leukotriene B4 (LTB-4). This enzyme also has some peptidase activity. The leukotrienes (LTs) are a class of structurally related lipid mediators involved in the development and maintenance of inflammatory and allergic reactions. In the biosynthesis of LTs, arachidonic acid was converted into the unstable intermediate epoxide LTA4, which may, in turn, be conjugated with glutathione to form the spasmogenic LTC4, or hydrolyzed into the pro-inflammatory lipid mediator LTB4 in a reaction catalyzed by Leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H). LTB4 is a classical chemoattractant of human neutrophils and triggers adherence and aggregation of leukocytes to vascular endothelium, and also modulates immune responses. As a bifunctional zinc metalloenzyme, LTA4H also exhibits an anion-dependant arginyl aminopeptidase activity of high efficiency and specificity in addition to its epoxide hydrolase activity. LTA4H is regarded as a therapeutic target for inflammation