PGP (phosphoglycolate phosphatase), also known as PGPase, is a 321 amino acid enzyme belonging to the HAD-like hydrolase superfamily and the CbbY/cbbZ/gph/yieH family. PGP is detected in all tissues including red cells, lymphocytes and cultured fibroblasts, with highest activity found in skeletal and cardiac muscle. PGP is considered an important regulatory enzyme on oxygen transport by indirectly affecting the level of red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. The gene encoding PGP maps to human chromosome 16, which encodes over 900 genes and comprises nearly 3% of the human genome. The GAN gene is located on chromosome 16 and, with mutation, may lead to giant axonal neuropathy, a nervous system disorder characterized by increasing malfunction with growth. The rare disorder Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome is also associated with chromosome 16, as is Crohns disease, which is a gastrointestinal inflammatory condition.
