Alanine Aminotransferase 2 (ALT2)

GPT and GPT2 also known as alanine transaminases, are pyridoxal enzymes that catalyze the reversible transamination between alanine and 2-oxoglutarate to form pyruvate and glutamate. By mediating the conversion of these 4 major intermediate metabolites, these transaminases have roles in gluconeogenesis and in amino acid metabolism. GPT2 shares 69% identity with GPT, except that it is 27 amino acids longer. Northern blot analysis revealed a 3.9-kb transcript expressed at high levels in muscle, fat, kidney, and brain and at lower levels in liver and breast. In contrast, the 2.1-kb GPT transcript was moderately expressed in kidney, liver, heart, and fat. Recombinant GPT2, expressed in E. coli, showed an apparent molecular mass of about 62 kD and displayed significant alanine transaminase activity.