AMY2

AMY2 refers to the pancreatic amylase gene family in humans, comprising two paralogous genes, AMY2A and AMY2B. These genes encode pancreatic alpha-amylase enzymes that digest dietary starch by catalyzing the hydrolysis of alpha-1,4-glycosidic bonds in the small intestine. The enzymes are produced in pancreatic acinar cells and secreted into the digestive tract after proteolytic processing; they belong to the alpha-amylase enzyme family, which features a catalytic domain that coordinates metal ions essential for activity.

Genetically, AMY2A and AMY2B are part of a clustered region that includes the salivary amylase gene AMY1 on chromosome 1. The amylase locus is highly polymorphic and exhibits copy number variation among individuals. Population studies have linked higher amylase gene copy numbers with increased dietary starch intake, reflecting broader patterns of dietary adaptation, though AMY2 copy number variation is less extensively characterized than AMY1.

From an evolutionary perspective, the amylase gene family shows duplication and diversification in mammals, often in association with starch-rich diets. In humans, AMY2 expression is predominantly pancreatic, contributing to baseline pancreatic amylase activity in digestion. Clinically, serum amylase measurements are used as a non-specific indicator of pancreatic function, but they do not diagnose status specific to AMY2 genes.

Research on AMY2 continues to investigate its regulation and expression in pancreatic tissue, as well as potential associations with metabolic traits, within the broader study of the human amylase gene cluster.