How the substrate specificity of fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH) towards long-chain aldehydes is achieved is an unresolved question. Here the authors present a crystal structure of human membrane-bound FALDH and find that it contains a ‘gatekeeper’ helix that directs substrate specificity towards long-chain fatty aldehydes.
- Markus A. Keller
- Ulrich Zander
- Jose A. Marquez
