SORD
SORD (sorbitol dehydrogenase, also known as SDH or XDH) is an NAD(+)-dependent polyol dehydrogenase that oxidises sugar alcohols such as sorbitol to their corresponding ketoses. It is a key enzyme in the polyol pathway, an alternate route for glucose metabolism. Browse Assay Genie's current range of SORD research reagents below, or read on for the biology behind the target.
SORD catalyses the reversible, NAD(+)-dependent oxidation of various sugar alcohols. It is most active with D-sorbitol (D-glucitol), L-threitol, xylitol and ribitol, which are oxidised at the C2 position to D-fructose, L-erythrulose, D-xylulose and D-ribulose respectively. To a lesser extent it can also oxidise L-arabinitol, galactitol, D-mannitol and glycerol in vitro, and it catalyses the stereospecific oxidation of (2R,3R)-2,3-butanediol, suggesting a more general role in secondary alcohol metabolism. It does not oxidise ethanol or other primary alcohols, and it cannot use NADP(+) as the electron acceptor.
Within the polyol pathway, aldose reductase (ALDR1) first reduces glucose to sorbitol using NADPH as cofactor. The SORD enzyme then oxidises sorbitol to fructose using NAD(+). Together these two steps interconvert glucose and fructose via sorbitol, an important alternate route for glucose metabolism. SORD is classed among the oxidoreductases and belongs to the zinc-containing alcohol dehydrogenase family. UniProt annotates its subcellular locations as the mitochondrion membrane and the cilium or flagellum.
The polyol pathway is believed to contribute to the aetiology of diabetic complications, such as diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy, induced by hyperglycaemia. SORD may also contribute to sperm motility by using sorbitol as an alternative energy source. The human SORD gene has the aliases SDH and XDH, and mouse and rat each have a Sord ortholog, which makes the enzyme accessible for comparative metabolic studies.
The polyol pathway, in which SORD acts, is believed to be involved in diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy driven by hyperglycaemia.
SORD converts sorbitol to fructose, forming an alternate route for glucose metabolism that interconverts the two sugars.
SORD may support sperm motility by using sorbitol as an alternative energy source, and it localises to the flagellum.
SORD oxidises sugar alcohols and secondary alcohols such as 2,3-butanediol, making it a useful model of substrate specificity.
SORD is a polyol dehydrogenase that catalyses the reversible NAD(+)-dependent oxidation of sugar alcohols. Its main reaction converts D-sorbitol to D-fructose in the polyol pathway, which interconverts glucose and fructose. It does not oxidise ethanol or other primary alcohols and cannot use NADP(+).
The HGNC-approved name is sorbitol dehydrogenase, and the aliases are SDH and XDH. NCBI Gene lists it as EC 1.1.1.14, while UniProt gives the class as EC 1.1.1.-. Researchers may therefore find it indexed under any of these names or symbols.
Mouse and rat both have a Sord ortholog. The polyol pathway, which includes SORD and aldose reductase, is believed to play a role in diabetic complications such as neuropathy and retinopathy. Check the datasheet of any product for its validated reactivity.
Other polyol pathway enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenases and glucose metabolism targets with products at Assay Genie.
Gene and protein annotations from HGNC, NCBI Gene and UniProt Q00796; product specifications from Assay Genie datasheets.