Human mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is mainly responsible for oxidation of acetaldehyde generated during alcohol oxidation in vivo. A full-length cDNA of human liver ALDH2 was successfully expressed using a vaccinia virus-T7 RNA polymerase system. The expressed ALDH2 had an enzymatic activity as high as the native human liver ALDH2 enzyme.