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Description

Aldehyde dehydrogenase family 1 member A3 (EC 1.2.1.5, UniProt Q9JHW9, also known as Aldehyde dehydrogenase 6, RALDH-3, RalDH3, Retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 3) is encoded by the Aldh1a3 (also known as Aldh6, Raldh3) gene (Gene ID 56847) in murine species. All-trans-retinoic acid (atRA) is a small molecule metabolite of retinol, also known as vitamine A, that plays an important role in the growth and development of many major organ systems, including the postnatal eye growth. The three retinaldehyde dehydrogenases, RALDH1-3 or ALDH1 1-3, catalyze the irreversible oxidation of retinaldehyde to form atRA. While retinaldehyde is formed via the reversible oxidation of retinol catalyzed by retinol dehydrogenases (RDHs). The three RALDH enzymes cooperatively mediate atRA signaling during eye development through tightly regulated spatiotemporal expression patterns. In the postnatal human eye, RALDH catalytic activity can be detected in the choroid, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and retina. RALDH2 is most abundant in the choroid and RPE, moderate abundance in the retina, and in relatively low abundance in sclera. RALDH1 is most abundant in the choroid, in moderate abundance in the sclera, and substantially reduced in the retina and RPE. RALDH3 is most abundantly expressed during embryonic eye development, but not detectable in adult ocular fundal tissues.