GSTM5 Antibody

Background:

Cytosolic and membrane-bound forms of glutathioneS-transferase are encoded by two distinct supergene families. Atpresent, eight distinct classes of the soluble cytoplasmicmammalian glutathione S-transferases have been identified: alpha,kappa, mu, omega, pi, sigma, theta and zeta. This gene encodes aglutathione S-transferase that belongs to the mu class. The muclass of enzymes functions in the detoxification of electrophiliccompounds, including carcinogens, therapeutic drugs, environmentaltoxins and products of oxidative stress, by conjugation withglutathione. The genes encoding the mu class of enzymes areorganized in a gene cluster on chromosome 1p13.3 and are known tobe highly polymorphic. These genetic variations can change anindividual's susceptibility to carcinogens and toxins as well asaffect the toxicity and efficacy of certain drugs. Diversificationof these genes has occurred in regions encoding substrate-bindingdomains, as well as in tissue expression patterns, to accommodatean increasing number of foreign compounds.