γ-Glutamyltranspeptidases: sequence, structure, biochemical properties, and biotechnological applications

Cell Mol Life Sci. 2012 Oct;69(20):3381-94. doi: 10.1007/s00018-012-0988-3. Epub 2012 Apr 21.

Abstract

γ-Glutamyltranspeptidases (γ-GTs) are ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of γ-glutamyl bonds in glutathione and glutamine and the transfer of the released γ-glutamyl group to amino acids or short peptides. These enzymes are involved in glutathione metabolism and play critical roles in antioxidant defense, detoxification, and inflammation processes. Moreover, γ-GTs have been recently found to be involved in many physiological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes. In this review, the main biochemical and structural properties of γ-GTs isolated from different sources, as well as their conformational stability and mechanism of catalysis, are described and examined with the aim of contributing to the discussion on their structure-function relationships. Possible applications of γ-glutamyltranspeptidases in different fields of biotechnology and medicine are also discussed.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Biotechnology*
  • Glutamine / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • gamma-Glutamyltransferase / chemistry*
  • gamma-Glutamyltransferase / genetics
  • gamma-Glutamyltransferase / metabolism*

Substances

  • Glutamine
  • gamma-Glutamyltransferase