AANAT (gene)

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Identifiers
Aliases
External IDs	GeneCards: [1]
Orthologs
Species	Human	Mouse
Entrez	n/a	n/a
Ensembl	n/a	n/a
UniProt	n/a	n/a
RefSeq (mRNA)	n/a	n/a
RefSeq (protein)	n/a	n/a
Location (UCSC)	n/a	n/a
PubMed search	n/a	n/a
Wikidata
View/Edit Human

AANAT is a gene that encodes an enzyme aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase. It is the key regulator of day-night cycle (circadian rhythm). It is found in all animals. In humans it is present on chromosome 17, in chimpanzees chromosome 17, in mouse and sheep chromosome 11, in rat chromosome 10, and in chicken chromosome 18.

Function

The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the acetyltransferase superfamily. It is the penultimate enzyme in melatonin synthesis and controls the night/day rhythm in melatonin production in the vertebrate pineal gland. Melatonin is essential for the function of the circadian clock that influences activity and sleep. This enzyme is regulated by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation that promotes its interaction with 14-3-3 proteins and thus protects the enzyme against proteasomal degradation.

Clinical significance

This gene may contribute to numerous genetic diseases such as delayed sleep phase syndrome.

References

This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.

External links

• Human AANAT genome location and AANAT gene details page in the UCSC Genome Browser.