Description
5-Lipoxygenase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ALOX5 gene. It is a member of the lipoxygenase family of enzymes which also transforms EFAs into leukotrienes and is a current target for pharmaceutical intervention in a number of diseases. The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase catalyzes 2 reactions in the formation of leukotrienes. Human ALOX5 contains three nuclear localization sequences (NLSs) and a phosphorylation site involved in nuclear localization. Compared with age-matched competent mice, the knockout mice developed less right heart hypertrophy. Pharmacologic inhibition or gene disruption resulted in a significant decrease of beta-amyloid production and gamma-secretase levels. ALOX5 activity is short-lived, apparently in part because of an intrinsic instability of the enzyme