Alternative titles; symbols
HGNC Approved Gene Symbol: BLVRB
Cytogenetic location: 19q13.2 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38): 19:40,447,768-40,465,745 (from NCBI)
The final step in heme metabolism in mammals is catalyzed by the cytosolic biliverdin reductase enzymes A and B (EC 1.3.1.24).
Yamaguchi et al. (1993) isolated 2 biliverdin reductases. BLVRB, which they called biliverdin-IX beta-reductase, is found predominantly in fetal liver. BLVRA (109750), which they called biliverdin-IX alpha-reductase, is a major component of human adult liver and is identical to the enzyme previously reported as biliverdin reductase.
Chikuba et al. (1994) isolated a cDNA encoding human erythrocyte NADPH-flavin reductase (FLR) from a human reticulocyte library. The FLR cDNA, which appeared to be identical to the BLVRB cDNA, encodes a deduced 206-amino acid protein. Western blot analysis of rat tissues showed highest levels of FLR in the erythrocytes and liver. Northern blot analysis detected a 1.1-kb transcript in human tissues. FLR had previously been isolated as an NADPH-dependent diaphorase, designated diaphorase-2 (DIA2), by Fisher et al. (1977) and has also been called methemoglobin reductase and NADPH reductase. Yubisui et al. (1977, 1979) found that flavins are the effective electron acceptor of the enzyme and purified FLR to homogeneity.
Quandt and Hultquist (1994) cloned bovine liver NADPH-flavin reductase. The deduced bovine FLR protein shares 91% sequence homology with human BLVRB.
Komuro et al. (1994) confirmed the identity of the human BLVRB and FLR proteins. Northern blot analysis detected highest expression of BLVRB in fetal liver and adult skeletal muscle and liver.
By fluorescence in situ hybridization using a 0.76-kb cDNA fragment as a probe, Saito et al. (1995) mapped the BLVRB gene to chromosome 19q13.13-q13.2. The BLVRA gene maps to 7p14-cen.
Chikuba, K., Yubisui, T., Shirabe, K., Takeshita, M. Cloning and nucleotide sequence of a cDNA of the human erythrocyte NADPH-flavin reductase. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 198: 1170-1176, 1994. [PubMed: 8117274] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1006/bbrc.1994.1165]
Fisher, R. A., Edwards, Y. H., Putt, W., Potter, J. An interpretation of human diaphorase isozymes in terms of three gene loci DIA-1, DIA-2, and DIA-3. Ann. Hum. Genet. 41: 139-149, 1977. [PubMed: 563699] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-1809.1977.tb01908.x]
Komuro, A., Tobe, T., Hashimoto, K., Nakano, Y., Yamaguchi, T., Nakajima, H., Tomita, M. Molecular cloning and expression of human liver biliverdin-IX-beta reductase. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 19: 796-804, 1994.
Quandt, K. S., Hultquist, D. E. Flavin reductase: sequence of cDNA from bovine liver and tissue distribution. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 91: 9322-9326, 1994. [PubMed: 7937764] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.91.20.9322]
Saito, F., Yamaguchi, T., Komuro, A., Tobe, T., Ikeuchi, T., Tomita, M., Nakajima, H. Mapping of the newly identified biliverdin-IX beta-reductase gene (BLVRB) to human chromosome 19q13.13-q13.2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 71: 179-181, 1995. [PubMed: 7656592] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1159/000134102]
Yamaguchi, T., Komuro, A., Nakano, Y., Tomita, M., Nakajima, H. Complete amino acid sequence of biliverdin-IX beta reductase from human liver. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 197: 1518-1523, 1993. [PubMed: 8280170] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1006/bbrc.1993.2649]
Yubisui, T., Matsuki, T., Takeshita, M., Yoneyama, Y. Characterization of the purified NADPH-flavin reductase of human erythrocytes. J. Biochem. 85: 719-728, 1979. [PubMed: 34598]
Yubisui, T., Matsuki, T., Tanishima, K., Takeshita, M., Yoneyama, Y. NADPH-flavin reductase in human erythrocytes and the reduction of methemoglobin through flavin by the enzyme. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 76: 174-182, 1977. [PubMed: 869945] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-291x(77)91683-7]