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ClassificationandNomenclatureofEnzymes
R.KAVITHA,M.PHARM
LECTURER,
DEPARTMENTOFPHARMACUTICS
SRMCOLEGEOFPHARMACY
SRMUNIVERITY
Trivalname
Givesnoideaofsource,functionorreaction
catalyzedbytheenzyme.
Example:trypsin,thrombin,pepsin.
SystematicName
AccordingtotheInternationalunionOf
Biochemistryanenzymenamehastwoparts:
Firstpartisthenameofthesubstrates
fortheenzyme.
Secondpartisthetypeofreaction
catalyzedbytheenzyme.Thispartendswith
thesuffixase.
Example:Lactatedehydrogenase
ECnumber
Enzymesareclassifiedintosixdifferentgroups
accordingtothereactionbeingcatalyzed.The
nomenclaturewasdeterminedbytheEnzyme
Commissionin1961(withthelatestupdate
havingoccurredin1992),henceallenzymes
areassignedanECnumber.The
classificationdoesnottakeintoaccount
aminoacidsequence(ie,homology),protein
structure,orchemicalmechanism.
ECnumbers
ECnumbersarefourdigits,forexamplea.b.c.d,
whereaistheclass,bisthesubclass,cis
thesubsubclass,anddisthesubsubsubclass.
Thebandcdigitsdescribethereaction,while
theddigitisusedtodistinguishbetween
differentenzymesofthesamefunctionbasedon
theactualsubstrateinthereaction.
Example:forAlcohol:NAD+oxidoreductaseEC
numberis1.1.1.1
TheSixClasses
EC1.Oxidoreductases
EC2.Transferases
EC3.Hydrolases
EC4.Lyases
EC5.Isomerases
EC6.Ligases
Alistofthesubclassesforeachclassisgivenbelow.Additional
informationonthesubsubclassesandsubsubsubclasses(ie,full
enzymeclassificationandnames)canbefoundatthereferenced
weblink.
FromtheWebversion,
http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/enzyme/index.html
EC1.Oxidoreductases
EC1.Oxidoreductases:catalyzethetransfer
ofhydrogenoroxygenatomsorelectrons
fromonesubstratetoanother,alsocalled
oxidases,dehydrogenases,orreductases.
Notethatsincetheseareredoxreactions,
anelectrondonor/acceptorisalsorequired
tocompletethereaction.
EC2.Transferases
EC2.Transferases catalyzegrouptransfer
reactions,excludingoxidoreductases(which
transferhydrogenoroxygenandareEC1).
Theseareofthegeneralform:
AX+BBX+A
EC3.Hydrolases
EC3.Hydrolases catalyzehydrolytic
reactions.Includeslipases,esterases,
nitrilases,peptidases/proteases.Theseareof
thegeneralform:
AX+H2OXOH+HA
EC4.Lyases
EC4.Lyases catalyzenonhydrolytic(covered
inEC3)removaloffunctionalgroupsfrom
substrates,oftencreatingadoublebondinthe
product;orthereversereaction,ie,additionof
functiongroupsacrossadoublebond.
ABA=B+XY
XY
Includesdecarboxylasesandaldolasesinthe
removaldirection,andsynthasesintheaddition
direction.
EC5.Isomerases
EC5.Isomerases catalyzesisomerization
reactions,includingracemizationsandcis
tranisomerizations.
EC6.Ligases
EC6.Ligases catalyzesthesynthesisof
various(mostlyCX)bonds,coupledwiththe
breakdownofenergycontainingsubstrates,
usuallyATP