The class of Omega glutathione transferases is newly identified with novel structural and functional characteristics. Human GSTO 1-1 (glutathione S-transferase Omega 1) is the first member of the GST Omega class. It was found to play a role in apoptosis and be in association with age-at-onset of AD and PD. In order to improve the understanding of the properties of other Omega class members, we screened a human fetal brain cDNA library and obtained the human GSTO2 (glutathione S-transferase Omega 2) cDNA. The full-length cDNA of human GSTO2 is 1179 bp long and encodes a protein of 243 amino acid residues. Expression pattern analysis revealed that GSTO2 was ubiquitously expressed at a low level, with a higher expression in pancreas and prostate. Enzyme assays showed that GSTO2 protein had activities similar to Omega class GSTs. It has detectable glutathione-dependent thiol transferase activity and glutathione-dependent dehydroascorbate reductase activity. But different from GSTO1-1, GSTO2 exhibits a high catalytic activity with CDNB. Subcellular localization analysis of GSTO2-EGFP fusion protein revealed that GSTO2 distributed to cytoplasm of COS-7 cells and both cytoplasm and nucleus of L-02, QGY-7703 and SMMC-7721 cells. Overexpression of GSTO2 induced apoptosis of L-02 cells detected by Annexin V-PE staining. The results suggest that GSTO2 may play an important role in cellular signaling.

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