Glutamate Decarboxylase Activity Assay Kit (Fluorometric)

Glutamate Decarboxylase (GAD; EC 4.1.1.15, also called Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase) is a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the irreversible decarboxylation of L-Glutamate to carbon dioxide and γ-Aminobutyroc Acid (GABA). GAD plays an important role in plants and mammals. GAD activity is associated with plant viability (as measured by germination) and organ development. In humans, GAD is expressed in the brain and β cells of the pancreas namely GAD65 and GAD67. In human brain, GAD is the rate-limiting enzyme for generating GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system. Alteration in the level of GAD or GABA leads to many neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, anxiety and epilepsy. GAD is one of the strongest autoantigen that triggers T-cell-mediated autoimmune diabetes in human pancreas. Recent studies have shown that the administration of adeno-associated virus-GAD gene therapy in Parkinson’s patients reduces the symptoms of the disease. Additionally, suppression of GAD expression in β cells results in the prevention of diabetes in mouse model. Thus, the study of GAD can be used to develop novel treatment strategies for neurological disorders and type 1 diabetes. In BioVision’s Glutamate Decarboxylase Activity Assay Kit, GAD decarboxylases L-Glutamate in the presence of Pyridoxal Phosphate to produce CO₂ and GABA intermediates. The intermediates then go through a series of enzymatic reactions to form NADPH, which converts the non-fluorescent probe to a fluorescent product measured at Ex/Em = 535/587 nm. The activity of GAD is proportional to the fluorescent signal. BioVision’s Glutamate Decarboxylase Activity Assay Kit offers a rapid, simple, sensitive, and reliable test for detecting GAD activity as low as 0.01 µU in samples.