Production, Purification, and Fluorometric Activity Assay of Human Aldehyde Dehydrogenases

Human aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) isoforms are NAD(P)+-dependent enzymes catalyzing the oxidation of a wide spectrum of aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acids. ALDH families 1 and 3 are associated with stemness, chemoresistance, and tumor progression across multiple tumor types. ALDH2 is involved in ethanol metabolism, and its deficiency is associated with a wide range of diseases. This protocol includes a method for recombinant protein production and affinity purification under reducing conditions that apply to ALDH family 1 and 3 isoforms, to produce high yields of pure, catalytically active protein (10–30 mg/L of culture). It also includes their respective enzymatic activity assays, optimized and based on the fluorescence emission of NAD(P)H at 460 nm, using hexanal (for ALDH1A1, 1A2, 1A3, and 2) or p-nitrobenzaldehyde (for ALDH3A1) as a substrate. These assays offer higher sensitivity than common UV-visible spectrophotometry and avoid interference of compounds that mask NAD(P)H absorption at 340 nm. The protocol could be adapted to high-throughput screenings using a fluorescent microplate reader. Not a single protocol existed in the literature that comprehensively addressed the methodology entailed in the production, purification, and fluorometric activity assays of the five isoforms. This standardized protocol, allowing a side-by-side comparison between the various isoforms and studies, is filling the gap and supersedes previously partial and scattered methodological information, representing an important contribution to the field. Here, high amounts of pure, soluble, stable, and catalytically active protein are obtained, which are suitable for crystallization trials and for the identification and characterization of substrates and inhibitors with therapeutic potential in the diagnostic and treatment of cancer and other diseases.