| Modification Notes |
Serum carnosinase, also known as CNDP1 (carnosine dipeptidase 1), CN1 or CPGL2, is a 507 amino acid protein that is secreted into central nervous system (CNS) tissue and is a member of the peptidase M20A family. Existing as a homodimer, serum carnosinase uses zinc as a cofactor to catalyze the hydrolysis of beta-Ala-I-His and Xaa-I-His dipeptides, including carnosine, thereby playing a role in glucose metabolism. Serum carnosinase functions as an optimal pH of 8.5 and contains a varying number of trinucleotide (CTG) repeats that control its enzymatic activity. Polymorphisms in the serum carnosinase gene are associated with homocarnosinosis, as well as with diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetes. The gene encoding serum carnosinase maps to human chromosome 18, which houses over 300 protein-coding genes and contains nearly 76 million bases. |