zeta-crystallin; quinone oxidoreductase; NADPH:quinone reductase (CRYZ)

Function

• does not have alcohol dehydrogenase activity
• binds NADP & acts through a one-electron transfer process
• orthoquinones, such as 1,2-naphthoquinone or 9,10-phenanthrenequinone, are the best substrates (in vitro)
• may act in the detoxification of xenobiotics
• interacts with (AU)-rich elements (ARE) in the 3'-UTR of target mRNA species
• enhances the stability of mRNA coding for BCL2
• NADPH binding interferes with mRNA binding

NADPH + 2 quinone = NADP+ + 2 semiquinone

Structure

• homotetramer
• belongs to the Zn+2-containing alcohol dehydrogenase family, quinone oxidoreductase subfamily

Compartment

cytoplasm

Alternative splicing

named isoforms=2

Expression

only very low amounts found in the lens

More general terms

• crystallin
• quinone reductase

Database

• Entrez gene: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Graphics&list_uids=1429
• Kegg: http://www.genome.jp/dbget-bin/www_bget?hsa:1429
• OMIM: https://mirror.omim.org/entry/123691
• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q08257.html