Spermine oxidase is an
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. A ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''SMOX''
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 ba ...
.
Function
The product of this gene is the
polyamine oxidase A polyamine oxidase (PAO) is an enzymatic flavoprotein that oxidizes a carbon-nitrogen bond in a secondary amino group of a polyamine donor, using molecular oxygen as an acceptor. The generalized PAO reaction converts three substrates (water, oxy ...
. This enzyme potentially represents a new class of catabolic enzymes in the mammalian polyamine metabolic pathway capable of the efficient oxidation of polyamines. More than five transcript variants encoding four active isoenzymes have been identified for this gene, however, not all variants have been fully described. The characterized isoenzymes have distinctive biochemical characteristics and substrate specificities, suggesting the existence of additional levels of complexity in polyamine catabolism.
References
Further reading
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