This gene encodes a protein that is highly similar to mouse and rat kynurenine aminotransferase II. The rat protein is a homodimer with two transaminase activities. One activity is the transamination of alpha-aminoadipic acid, a final step in the saccaropine pathway which is the major pathway for L-lysine catabolism. The other activity involves the transamination of kynurenine to produce kynurenine acid, the precursor of kynurenic acid which has neuroprotective properties. Two alternative transcripts encoding the same isoform have been identified, however, additional alternative transcripts and isoforms may exist. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].
Guillemin, Cullen, Lim, Smythe, Garner, Kapoor, Takikawa, Brew: "Characterization of the kynurenine pathway in human neurons." in: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, Vol. 27, Issue 47, pp. 12884-92, (2007) (PubMed).
Goh, Patel, Thomas, Salomons, Schor, Jakobs, Geraghty: "Characterization of the human gene encoding alpha-aminoadipate aminotransferase (AADAT)." in: Molecular genetics and metabolism, Vol. 76, Issue 3, pp. 172-80, (2002) (PubMed).