ALDH8A1 - Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 8 Family Member A1

This gene encodes a member of the aldehyde dehydrogenase family of proteins. The encoded protein has been implicated in the synthesis of 9-cis-retinoic acid and in the breakdown of the amino acid tryptophan. This enzyme converts 9-cis-retinal into the retinoid X receptor ligand 9-cis-retinoic acid, and has approximately 40-fold higher activity with 9-cis-retinal than with all-trans-retinal. In addition, this enzyme has been shown to catalyze the conversion of 2-aminomuconic semialdehyde to 2-aminomuconate in the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan catabolism. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2018]