AKHSDH2 Antibody

Definition and Biological Role of AKHSDH2

AKHSDH2 is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes two sequential reactions in the aspartate metabolic pathway:

• Aspartokinase activity: Phosphorylates aspartate to form aspartyl-phosphate.

• Homoserine dehydrogenase activity: Reduces aspartate semialdehyde to homoserine, a precursor for lysine, methionine, and threonine biosynthesis .

In plants like Arabidopsis thaliana and Zea mays (maize), AKHSDH2 is chloroplastic and regulates flux through branched pathways essential for growth and stress responses .

AKHSDH2 Antibody Characteristics

Commercially available AKHSDH2 antibodies (e.g., PHY7767S) are typically rabbit polyclonal antibodies validated for specificity in model plants and related species. Key features include:

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Enzyme Regulation Studies

• AKHSDH2 antibodies have been instrumental in characterizing allosteric regulation mechanisms. For example, mutations in the allosteric site of homologous enzymes (e.g., ATP-phosphoribosyltransferase in Mycobacterium tuberculosis) alter stability and activity, insights applicable to AKHSDH2 .

• In maize, AKHSDH2’s dual activity is modulated by redox conditions, with antibody-based assays confirming compartment-specific expression patterns .

Plant Stress Responses

• AKHSDH2 expression increases under sulfur deficiency in Arabidopsis, detected via Western blotting using specific antibodies .

• Knockout mutants exhibit stunted growth, highlighting the enzyme’s role in amino acid homeostasis .

Validation and Technical Considerations

• Specificity: Antibodies are validated using knockout lines or siRNA silencing to confirm signal loss .

• Cross-reactivity: Limited to closely related species (e.g., Brassicaceae), with no observed binding to mammalian or bacterial homologs .

• Storage: Lyophilized antibodies retain activity for >12 months at -20°C, but reconstituted aliquots degrade after 3–4 freeze-thaw cycles .

Challenges and Future Directions

• Structural Complexity: AKHSDH2’s bifunctional nature complicates crystallization studies; antibodies aid in mapping domain-specific interactions .

• Agricultural Biotechnology: Engineered AKHSDH2 variants (e.g., feedback-insensitive mutants) could enhance crop resilience, with antibodies enabling trait screening .