Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase - Catalyzed Reactions

Catalyzed Reactions

The form of sEH in the intracellular environment is a homodimer with two distinct activities in two separate structural domains of each monomer: the C-terminal epoxide hydrolase activity (soluble epoxide hydrolase: EC 3.3.2.10) and the N-terminal phosphatase activity (lipid-phosphate phosphatase: EC 3.1.3.76). sEH converts epoxides, or three membered cyclic ethers, to their corresponding diols through the addition of a molecule of water. The resulting diols are more water soluble than the parent epoxides, and so are more readily excreted by the organism.

The C-term-EH catalyzes the addition of water to an epoxide to yield a vicinal diol (reaction 1). The Nterm-phos hydrolyzes phosphate monoesters, such as lipid phosphates, to yield alcohols and phosphoric acid (reaction 2). The C-term-EH hydrolyzes one important class of lipid signaling molecules that includes many epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) that have vasoactive, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.