fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (fatty acid alpha-hydroxylase, FA2H, FAAH)

Function

• required for alpha-hydroxylation of free fatty acids & the formation of alpha-hydroxylated sphingolipids
• role in myelination in the CNS & PNS, & for epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis

Cofactor: iron (putative)

Structure

• histidine box domains may contain the active site &/or be involved in metal ion binding
• contains 1 cytochrome b5 heme-binding domain

Compartment

endoplasmic reticulum membrane

Expression

• detected in differentiating cultured keratinocytes (at protein level)
• detected in epidermis & cultured keratinocytes
• highly expressed in brain & colon detected at lower levels in testis, prostate, pancreas & kidney
• up-regulated during keratinocyte differentiation

More general terms

• enzyme
• membrane protein

Database

• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q7L5A8.html