Biliverdin Reductase A (BLVRA)

Biliverdin reductases, such as BLVRA (EC 1.3.1.24), catalyze the conversion of biliverdin to bilirubin in the presence of NADPH or NADH.

The deduced 296-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 33.2 kD. Removal of 2 N-terminal amino acids results in a 294-amino acid mature protein with an N-terminal threonine. The N-terminal region contains the NADH/NADPH-binding consensus sequence. BLVRA shares 82.8% amino acid identity with rat Blvra, but it does not share significant homology with BLVRB. Northern blot analysis detected BLVRA at 1.35 kb in all 8 tissues examined. Expression was highest in brain, pancreas, and lung, and lowest in liver and placenta.