Carboxylesterase 2 is an
enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''CES2''
gene.
It is a member of the
alpha/beta fold hydrolase family.
2 is a member of a large multigene family. The enzymes encoded by these genes are responsible for the hydrolysis of
ester- and
amide-bond-containing drugs such as
cocaine and
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
. They also hydrolyze
long-chain fatty acid esters and
thioester
In organic chemistry, thioesters are organosulfur compounds with the functional group . They are analogous to carboxylate esters () with the sulfur in the thioester playing the role of the linking oxygen in the carboxylate ester, as implied by t ...
s. The specific function of this enzyme has not yet been determined; however, it is speculated that carboxylesterases may play a role in
lipid metabolism and/or the
blood–brain barrier
The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective semipermeable membrane, semipermeable border of endothelium, endothelial cells that prevents solutes in the circulating blood from ''non-selectively'' crossing into the extracellular fluid of ...
system. Two
alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been found for this gene.
Interactive pathway map
References
Further reading
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