Department of Physiological Chemistry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
A cDNA clone corresponding to leukotriene A4 hydrolase was isolated from a human lung lambda gt11 expression library by immunoscreening with a polyclonal antiserum. Several additional clones from human lung and placenta cDNA lambda g11 libraries were obtained by plaque hybridization with the 32P-labeled lung cDNA clone. One of these clones has an insert of 1910 base pairs that contains the complete protein-coding region. From the deduced primary structure, leukotriene A4 hydrolase is a 610 amino and protein with a calculated molecular weight of 69,140. No apparent homologies with microsomal epoxide hydrolases were found. RNA blot analysis indicated substantial amounts of a discrete mRNA of approximately equal to 2250 nucleotides in lung tissue and leukocytes.