Background: |
The α/β hydrolase superfamily comprise diverse members that are involved in important biochemical processes and related to various diseases. They have unrelated sequences, various substrates, and different kinds of catalytic activities, yet they share the same canonical α/β hydrolase fold, which consists of an eight-stranded parallel α/β structure. They are also characterized by a catalytic triad composed of a histidine, an acid and a nucleophile. Members of this superfamily are often drug targets for treating diseases, such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, obesity and blood clotting disorders. The Ab hydrolase domain containing (ABHD) gene subfamily is comprised of 15 mostly uncharacterized members, most of which utilize a serine nucleophile to form the G-X-S-X-G nucleophile elbow. ABHD7 is a 362 amino acid single-pass type II membrane protein that belongs to the AB hydrolase superfamily and the Epoxide hydrolase family. |