Description
Product Characteristics:
Arginase I which is expressed almost exclusively in the liver, catalyzes the conversion of arginine to ornithine and urea. The human arginase I gene, which maps to chromosome 6q23, encodes a 322 amino acid protein. Arginase I exists as a homotrimeric protein and contains a binuclear manganese cluster. Arginase II catalyzes the same reaction as arginase I, but differs in its tissue specificity and subcellular location. Specifically, arginase II localizes to the mitochondria. Arginase II is expressed in non-hepatic tissues, with the highest levels of expression in the kidneys, but, unlike arginase I, is not expressed in liver. The human arginase II gene, which maps to chromosome 14q24.1-q24.3, encodes a 354 amino acid protein. In addition, arginase II contains a putative amino-terminal mitochondrial localization sequence.
Subcellular location: Cytoplasm
Synonyms: Arginase-1, Liver-type arginase, Type I arginase, ARG1
Target Information: Arginase catalyzes the hydrolysis of arginine to ornithine and urea. At least two isoforms of mammalian arginase exist (types I and II) which differ in their tissue distribution, subcellular localization, immunologic crossreactivity and physiologic function. The type I isoform encoded by this gene, is a cytosolic enzyme and expressed predominantly in the liver as a component of the urea cycle. Inherited deficiency of this enzyme results in argininemia, an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by hyperammonemia. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2011]