Retinol Dehydrogenase 12 (RDH12)

Retinoids are indispensable light-sensitive elements of vision and also serve as essential modulators of cellular differentiation and proliferation in diverse cell types. RDH12 belongs to a family of dual-specificity retinol dehydrogenases that metabolize both all-trans- and cis-retinols.The deduced 316-amino acid RDH12 protein has a calculated molecular mass of about 35 kD and shares 79% similarity with RDH11. RDH12 contains 2 motifs highly conserved among short chain alcohol dehydrogenases/reductases, the cofactor-binding site and catalytic residues. EST database analysis indicated that RDH12 is expressed predominantly in eye and also in kidney, brain, skeletal muscle, and stomach. In situ hybridization to monkey and mouse retina indicated Rdh12 is expressed at the base of photoreceptor inner segments.