An introduction to the family |
| The enzymatic addition of sugars to fat-soluble
chemicals is an important process that increases their solubility in water and aids in
their excretion. In mammals, glucuronic acid is the main sugar that is used to prevent the
accumulation of waste products of metabolism and fat-soluble chemicals from the
environment to toxic levels in the body. The UDP glucuronosyltransferases that carry out
this reaction are part of a super family of UDP glycosyltransferases found in animals,
plants and bacteria. This Web site contains information on those mammalian enzymes that use UDP glucuronic acid as the sugar donor. |
Last revised : 11th October, 1998
URL is http://www.unisa.edu.au/pharm_medsci/intro.htm