CRAT polyclonal antibody

Aging affects oxidative metabolism in liver and other tissues. Carnitine acyltransferases are key enzymes of this process in mitochondria. Carnitine acetyltransferase (CAT, CRAT) catalyzes the reversible conversion of acetyl-CoA and carnitine to acetylcarnitine and CoA. The essential functions of CAT are to regenerate CoA, which allows peroxisomal b-oxidation to proceed, and to facilitate transport of acetyl moieties to mitochondria for oxidation. More than 70% of CAT is located in the mitochondrial matrix and it is also located in the endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisomal and mitochondrial inner membrane. An age associated decrease in CAT activity has been reported in many rat systems. The human gene encoding CAT maps to chromosome 9q34.1 and encodes a protein that contains a peroxisomal targeting signal and is expressed mostly in skeletal muscle, and less in heart, liver and pancreas. Total CAT activity is induced by acetate and fatty acids, and repressed by glucose.