Fig. 8.

A schematic representation of the modulation of AWAT2 enzymatic activity. A: In the absence of 11-cis-retinoids, AWAT2 reveals relaxed substrate selectivity allowing for esterification of a variety of geometric isomers of retinol. B: Interaction of the retinoid moiety in the 11-cis configuration with a putative allosteric site (marked with green boundary) leads to changes in the active site (blue and orange boundaries) that result in narrowing substrate specificity of the enzyme and selective production of 11-cis-retinyl esters.