Aspartate Aminotransferase 2 (AST2)

Glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase is a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme which exists in cytoplasmic and inner-membrane mitochondrial forms, GOT1 and GOT2, respectively. GOT plays a role in amino acid metabolism and the urea and tricarboxylic acid cycles. The two enzymes are homodimeric and show close homology.In lower animals and plants, many mitochondrial enzymes show maternal inheritance, indicating that a separate mitochondrial genetic system is involved in their control. However, family studies showed that mitochondrial GOT is under the control of nuclear not mitochondrial DNA. GOT2 has substrate and cofactor requirements very similar to those of cytosolic tyrosine aminotransferase. Indeed, GOT2 may be responsible for the TAT activity found in mitochondria .