Can oxidize benzaldehyde, propionaldehyde and acetaldehyde (By similarity). No detectable activity with retinal. an aldehyde + H2O + NAD(+) = a carboxylate + 2 H(+) + NADH Alcohol metabolism; ethanol degradation; acetate from ethanol: step 2/2. Homotetramer. Highest level in liver, high level in lung, low level in kidney and testis. Xenopus embryos injected with Aldh1a7 mRNA failed to produce retinoic acid in contrast to embryos injected with Aldh1a1. Belongs to the aldehyde dehydrogenase family.