Retinol Dehydrogenase 5 (RDH5)

RDH5 encodes an enzyme belonging to the short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDR) family. This retinol dehydrogenase functions to catalyze the final step in the biosynthesis of 11-cis retinaldehyde, which is the universal chromophore of visual pigments.

The sequence of the cDNA encoding p32 revealed that it is a member of the superfamily of short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases. The authors determined that transcripts of the gene were specifically expressed in retinal pigment epithelium. They also determined that p32 acts as a stereospecific 11-cis retinol dehydrogenase in the presence of NAD+ and that it catalyzes the final step in the biosynthesis of 11-cis retinaldehyde, the universal chromophore of visual pigments.