ENZYMES:

OVERVIEW AND
NOMENCLATURE

ARAÑO, ARZAGA, BUENAVENTURA, CARABEO, GENOVES, VIAJEDOR

OBJECTIVES

To explain how enzymes play

significant roles in the chemical
reactions in the body;
To enumerate the types of enzymes
and the reactions that they catalyze;
and
To recognize the rules for classification
and nomenclature.
OVERVIEW:
ENZYMES &
CATALYSTS

What are Enzymes?

Why is Catalysis important?
WHAT ARE
ENZYMES?

Highly specialized proteins substrates

catalytic proteins which catalyze various
chemical reactions in our body
Catalyst - Increases rate of reactions
without being consumed or
changed. Selectively channel reactants
(substrates) into useful pathways
Directs all metabolic events
WHY IS
CATALYSIS
IMPORTANT?

REACTIONS COULD NOT OCCUR ON

A USEFUL TIME SCALE AND COULD
NOT SUSTAIN LIFE
 NOMENCLATURE

Recommended name
Systematic name
Recommended name

SHORTER AND COMMONLY

FOR EVERYDAY HAVE THE
USE SUFFIX “-ASE
Recommended name
COMMONLY HAVE THE SUFFIX “-ASE

attached to
attached to the
the description
substrate of the
of the action
reaction
performed

Some enzymes
retain their
original trivial
names
Recommended name
COMMONLY HAVE THE SUFFIX “-ASE

attached to the substrate of the reaction

e.g. Glucosidase; Urease

Lipase - a group of enzymes that help digest fats in the

gut.
Amylase - helps change starches into sugars.
Amylase is found in Saliva.
Collagenase - are enzymes that degrade collagen.
Lactase - catalyzes the hydrolysis of lactose to
glucose and galactose.
Recommended name
COMMONLY HAVE THE SUFFIX “-ASE

attached to the description of the action

performed
e.g. Lactate Dehydrogenase, Adeny Cyclase

Lactate Dehydrogenase - enzyme found in almost all body

tissues. It plays an important role in cellular respiration.
Adenylyl cyclase -  is the enzyme that synthesizes cyclic
adenosine monophosphate or cyclic AMP from adenosine
triphosphate (ATP).
Recommended name
COMMONLY HAVE THE SUFFIX “-ASE

Some enzymes retain their original trivial

names
e.g. trypsin and pepsin

Trypsin - found in small intestine, breaks proteins down into

amino acids.
Pepsin - powerful enzyme in gastric juice that digests proteins.
Rennin -  a.k.a. chymosin; protein-digesting enzyme that
curdles milk by transforming caseinogen into insoluble casein.
Papain - a proteolytic enzyme; help break proteins down into
smaller smaller protein fragments called peptides and amino
acids. 
Systematic name
COMPLETE
DIVIDED INTO 6
SYSTEMATIC
MAJOR CLASSES
NAME USED TO
WITH MANY
AVOID
SUBGROUPS
AMBIGUITY

SUFFIX “-ASE”
IS ATTACHED
TO THE
CHEMICAL
REACTION
Systematic name

EACH ARE
INCLUDES ALL THE
ASSIGNED A
NAMES OF THE
CLASSIFICATION
SUBSTRATES
NUMBER
Lactate:nicotinamide
Lactate: NAD+
adenine dinucleotide
oxidoreductase : 1.1.1.27
(NAD+) oxidoreductase
aspartate
aspartate
aminotransferase: EC 2.6.1.1
aminotransferase:
glutamic-oxaloacetic
transaminase (GOT)
6 MAJOR
CLASSES OF
ENZYMES
Oxidoreductases
Transferases
Hydrolases
Lyases
Isomerases
Ligases
 6 MAJOR CLASSES OF ENZYMES

OXIDOREDUCTASES TRANSFERASES HYDROLASES

catalyze oxidation-reduction catalyze transfer of C-, N-, or P- catalyze cleavage of bonds
reactions containing groups by addition of water
OXIDOREDUCTASE

TRANSFERASE

HYDROLASE
 6 MAJOR CLASSES OF ENZYMES

LYASES ISOMERASES LIGASES

catalyze cleavage of C- catalyze rearrangement Catalyze formation of bonds
C, C-S, and certain C-N of optical or geometric between carbon and O, S, N,
bonds isomers coupled to hydrolysis of
high-energy phosphates
 LYASE

ISOMERASE

LIGASE
CONFUSING
ENZYME
NOMENCLATURE
 Some of the potentially confusing
nomenclature includes:

SYNTHETASE SYNTHASE PHOSPHORYLASE

requires ATP no ATP required uses inorganic phosphate to
break a bond and generate
phosphorylated product
 Some of the potentially confusing
nomenclature includes:

DEHYDROGENASE OXIDASE OXYGENASE

NAD+or flavin adenine oxygen is the acceptor one or both oxygen atoms
dinucleotide [FAD] is an and oxygen atoms are are incorporated
electron acceptor in not incorporated into
a redox reaction substrate
REFERENCES
Harvey, Richard A., Ph. D. (2011). Lippincott's illustrated reviews: Biochemistry.
Philadelphia :Wolters Kluwer Health
Nelson, D.L. and Cox, M.M. (2008). Lehninger principles of biochemistry (5th ed).
New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Company.