Table of Contents
Definition of Enzymes
Enzymes are proteins that help speed up chemical reactions in our bodies. Enzymes are essential for digestion, liver function and much more.
Too much or too little of a certain enzyme can cause health problems. Enzymes in our blood can also help healthcare providers check for injuries and diseases.
The term enzyme was firstly discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm in 1878.wilhelm to designate these biological catalyst.
Enzymes are found in all tissues and fluids of the body. Catalysis of all reactions taking place in metabolic pathways is carried out by intracellular enzymes.
History of Enzymes
History of Enzymes states that Enzymes are best-known to turn quite five,000 biochemical reaction types. Most enzymes are proteins, although a few are catalytic RNA molecules. The latter are called ribozymes. Enzymes’ specificity comes from their unique three-dimensional structures.
Enzymology is generally believed to have been discovered by Buchner in 1887 because it indicates that the enzyme can be separated from the broken cells in a dissolved, active state, thereby promoting the separation of the enzyme and further exploration of its physicochemical properties. It also promotes in-depth research on various enzyme systems related to life processes.
Structure of Enzymes
1. Primary Structure
Enzymes are made up of amino acids. which are linked together via amide (peptide) bonds in a linear chain. This is the primary structure. The resulting amino acid chain is called a polypeptide or protein. The specific order of amino acid in the protein is encoded by the DNA sequence of the corresponding gene.
2. Secondary Structure
The hydrogen in the amino group and the oxygen in the carboxyl group of each amino acid can bond with each other by means of hydrogen bond, this means that the amino acids in the same chain can interact with each other. As a result, the protein chain can fold up on itself, and it can fold up in two ways, resulting in two secondary structure it can either wrap round forming the alpha helix, or it can fold on top of itself forming the bita sheet
3. Tertiary structure
As a consequence of the folding-up of the 2D linear chain in the secondary structure, the protein can fold up further and in doing so gains a three-dimensional structure.
Classification of Enzymes
According to the International Union of Biochemists (IUB), enzymes are divided into six functional classes and are classified based on the type of reaction in which they are used to catalyse. The six kinds of enzymes are as follows:
1. Oxidoreductases
Oxidoreductase is an enzyme that catalyses the oxidation and reduction reactions in which electrons are transferred from one form of a molecule (electron donor) to the other (electron acceptor). Consider the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase. Cofactors for oxidoreductase enzymes are commonly NADP+ or NAD+.
2. Transferases
These catalyse the transfer of a chemical group (functional group) from one compound (referred to as the donor) to another compound (referred to as the recipient) (called the acceptor). A transaminase, for example, is an enzyme that transfers an amino group from one molecule to another.
3. Hydrolases
They are hydrolytic enzymes that catalyse the hydrolysis reaction by cleaving the bond and hydrolyzing it with water molecules, i.e. they catalyse the hydrolysis of a bond. Pepsin, for example, breaks down peptide connections in proteins.
4. Lyases
They are enzymes that catalyse bodywork by creating a double bond or adding a group to a double bond without involving hydrolysis or oxidation.
5. Isomerases
They’re an enzyme family that converts a chemical from one isomer to another. Isomerases aid intramolecular rearrangements by breaking as well as forming bonds.
6. Ligases
Ligase is a catalytic enzyme that catalyses the ligation or connecting of two big molecules by establishing a new chemical link between them. DNA ligase, for example, catalyses the formation of a phosphor diester bond between two DNA fragments.
Significance of Enzymes
In the absence of an enzyme, biochemical reactions hardly proceed at all, whereas in its presence the rate can be increased up to 107-fold. Thus, they are crucial for normal metabolism of living systems.
For clinical applications. Enzymes are the preferred markers in various disease states such as myocardial infarction, jaundice, pancreatitis, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, etc.