Important for the metabolism of amino acids and Krebs-cycle related organic acids. Involved in plant nitrogen metabolism of Asp and Asp-derived amino acids and in the synthesis of Asp/Asn for seed storage (PubMed:12068109). May be involved in the assessment of the pyridoxal phosphate levels in the cell (PubMed:21511809). 2-oxoglutarate + L-aspartate = L-glutamate + oxaloacetate kcat is 217 sec(-1) for the forward reaction. kcat is 574 sec(-1) for the reverse reaction. Homodimer. Highly expressed during early germination. Up-regulated upon pathogen infection. No visible phenotype, but slight modification of the amino acid composition. Growth defect, when grown in vitro. Several mutations in ASP2, but not all, suppress the root UV-B sensitive (rus) phenotype. A loss of ASP2 activity is not sufficient for this suppression. In eukaryotes there are cytoplasmic, mitochondrial and chloroplastic isozymes. Belongs to the class-I pyridoxal-phosphate-dependent aminotransferase family.