Dicarbonyl/L-Xylulose Reductase (DCXR)

DCXR is an enzyme that has both diacetyl reductase (EC 1.1.1.5) and L-xylulose reductase (EC 1.1.1.10) activities. The protein has a calculated molecular mass of 26 kD. It contains 3 N-glycosylation sites in the C-terminal region. DCXR shares 65% amino acid identity with hamster P26h and 71% similarity with pig lung tetrameric carbonyl reductase. Northern blot analysis detected a transcript of about 0.9 kb expressed at a high level in epididymis and at a low level in testis. Expression was high in corpus, moderate in caput, and low in cauda epididymis. Expression was also detected at low levels in liver, pancreas, muscle, and lung. In situ hybridization revealed expression predominantly in the proximal and distal sections of the corpus epididymis, with staining restricted to the principal cells of the epididymal epithelium.