CYP4A22 (cytochrome P450, family 4, subfamily A, polypeptide 22) also known as fatty acid omega-hydroxylase is a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

which in humans is encoded by the ''CYP4A22''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

. This gene encodes a member of the

cytochrome P450 Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are a superfamily of enzymes containing heme as a cofactor that functions as monooxygenases. In mammals, these proteins oxidize steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics, and are important for the clearance of various co ...

superfamily of

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

s. The cytochrome P450 proteins are

monooxygenase Monooxygenases are enzymes that incorporate one hydroxyl group (−OH) into substrates in many metabolic pathways. In this reaction, the two atoms of dioxygen are reduced to one hydroxyl group and one H2O molecule by the concomitant oxidation o ...

s which catalyze many reactions involved in drug metabolism and synthesis of cholesterol, steroids and other lipids. This gene is part of a cluster of cytochrome P450 genes on chromosome 1p33. CYP4A22 was once considered, along with

CYP4A11 Cytochrome P450 4A11 is a protein that in humans is codified by the ''CYP4A11'' gene. Function This gene encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes. The cytochrome P450 proteins are monooxygenases which catalyze many reacti ...

CYP4F2 Leukotriene-B(4) omega-hydroxylase 1 is an enzyme protein involved in the metabolism of various endogenous substrates (mainly the fatty acids) and xenobiotics (including pharmaceutical drugs). The most notable substrate of the enzyme is leukotrie ...

, and CYP4F3, as active in metabolizing arachidonic acid to 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) by an

omega oxidation Omega oxidation (ω-oxidation) is a process of fatty acid metabolism in some species of animals. It is an alternative pathway to beta oxidation that, instead of involving the β carbon, involves the oxidation of the ω carbon (the carbon most dist ...

reaction with the predominant 20-HETE-synthesizing enzymes in humans being CYP4F2 followed by CYP4A11; 20-HETE regulates blood flow, vascularization, blood pressure, and kidney tubule absorption of ions in rodents and possibly humans. However, human CYP4A22 is expressed at very low levels in few tissues and may not be a functional enzyme in regard to the metabolism of arachidnoic acid to 20-HETE.

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