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Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th edition. New York: Garland Science; 2002.

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Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th edition.

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Table 3-1Some Common Types of Enzymes

ENZYMEREACTION CATALYZED
Hydrolasesgeneral term for enzymes that catalyze a hydrolytic cleavage reaction.
Nucleasesbreak down nucleic acids by hydrolyzing bonds between nucleotides.
Proteasesbreak down proteins by hydrolyzing bonds between amino acids.
Synthasesgeneral name used for enzymes that synthesize molecules in anabolic reactions by condensing two smaller molecules together.
Isomerasescatalyze the rearrangement of bonds within a single molecule.
Polymerasescatalyze polymerization reactions such as the synthesis of DNA and RNA.
Kinasescatalyze the addition of phosphate groups to molecules. Protein kinases are an important group of kinases that attach phosphate groups to proteins.
Phosphatasescatalyze the hydrolytic removal of a phosphate group from a molecule.
Oxido-Reductasesgeneral name for enzymes that catalyze reactions in which one molecule is oxidized while the other is reduced. Enzymes of this type are often called oxidases, reductases, and dehydrogenases.
ATPaseshydrolyze ATP. Many proteins with a wide range of roles have an energy-harnessing ATPase activity as part of their function, for example, motor proteins such as myosin and membrane transport proteins such as the sodium–potassium pump.

Enzyme names typically end in “-ase,” with the exception of some enzymes, such as pepsin, trypsin, thrombin and lysozyme that were discovered and named before the convention became generally accepted at the end of the nineteenth century. The common name of an enzyme usually indicates the substrate and the nature of the reaction catalyzed. For example, citrate synthase catalyzes the synthesis of citrate by a reaction between acetyl CoA and oxaloacetate.

From: Protein Function

Copyright © 2002, Bruce Alberts, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, and Peter Walter; Copyright © 1983, 1989, 1994, Bruce Alberts, Dennis Bray, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, and James D. Watson .

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