Ornithine Decarboxylase (ODC)

The enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) participates in the urea cycle, and in the metabolism of glutathione and amino groups. In humans, this protein has 461 amino acids and forms a homodimer. ODC gene expression is induced by a large number of biological stimuli including seizure activity in the brain.

Inactivation of ODC by difluoromethylornithine (eflornithine) is used to treat cancer, sickness and facial hair growth in postmenopausal females. ODC is also an enzyme indispensable to parasites like trypanosoma, giardia and plasmodium. A fact exploited by the drug eflornithine. ODC is the most well-characterized cellular protein subject to ubiquitin-independent proteasomal degradation.