Applications of molecular biology to study aldehyde dehydrogenase

Liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase has been cloned and expressed in E. coli as the mature or the precursor form. This has allowed for site directed mutagenesis to be performed to study active site components of the enzyme. Residues investigated were cysteine, histidines and a glutamate. The import of the precursor into mitochondria in the presence and absence of added alcohols was investigated. Alcohols, in a dose dependent manner, inhibited the import of the precursor into isolated rat liver mitochondria.