Mammalian ALDH7A1 is homologous to plant ALDH7B1, an enzyme that protects against various forms of stress, such as salinity, dehydration, and osmotic stress. It is known that mutations in the human ALDH7A1 gene cause pyridoxine-dependent and folic acid-responsive seizures. Herein, we show for the first time that human ALDH7A1 protects against hyperosmotic stress by generating osmolytes and metabolizing toxic aldehydes. Human ALDH7A1 expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells attenuated osmotic stress-induced apoptosis caused by increased extracellular concentrations of sucrose or sodium chloride. Purified recombinant ALDH7A1 efficiently metabolized a number of aldehyde substrates, including the osmolyte precursor, betaine aldehyde, lipid peroxidation-derived aldehydes, and the intermediate lysine degradation product, ␣-aminoadipic semialdehyde. The crystal structure for ALDH7A1 supports the enzyme's substrate specificities. Tissue distribution studies in mice showed the highest expression of ALDH7A1 protein in liver, kidney, and brain, followed by pancreas and testes. ALDH7A1 protein was found in the cytosol, nucleus, and mitochondria, making it unique among the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes. Analysis of human and mouse cDNA sequences revealed mitochondrial and cytosolic transcripts that are differentially expressed in a tissue-specific manner in mice. In conclusion, ALDH7A1 is a novel aldehyde dehydrogenase expressed in multiple subcellular compartments that protects against hyperosmotic stress by generating osmolytes and metabolizing toxic aldehydes.
The human aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)3 superfamily contains 19 enzymes involved in the NAD(P)ϩ -dependent oxidation of aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acids. These enzymes play crucial roles in a number of physiological processes by efficiently metabolizing a wide array of endogenous and exogenous aldehydes (1). Aldehydes are highly reactive molecules that can form adducts resulting in DNA damage and enzyme inactivation. As such, their removal is of the utmost importance. ALDH enzymes also couple the removal of these potentially toxic aldehydes to NAD(P)H production, which, in turn, helps maintain cellular redox balance. Finally, ALDH activity generates a number of important cellular molecules, including retinoic acid, the neurotransmitter ␥-aminobutyric acid, the major dietary folate tetrahydrofolate, and the osmolyte betaine (1).Human ALDH7A1 was originally identified as sharing 60% homology with the osmotic stress-induced 26g pea turgor protein (according to the official nomenclature now referred to as ALDH7B1), found in the common garden pea (Pisum sativum) (2). Initially named "antiquitin," the ALDH7A1 protein has been highly conserved throughout evolution. Indeed, the degree of homology noted between ALDH7A1 and ALDH7B1 is comparable with that observed between the human and pea histone H2A proteins, which are among the most evolutionarily conserved of all eukaryotic proteins (2, 3). Such a high degree of sequence similarity between species ofte...