Definitions for enzymes
en·zymes

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. enzymes

   Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. Almost all metabolic processes in the cell need enzyme catalysis in order to occur at rates fast enough to sustain life.: 8.1  Metabolic pathways depend upon enzymes to catalyze individual steps. The study of enzymes is called enzymology and the field of pseudoenzyme analysis recognizes that during evolution, some enzymes have lost the ability to carry out biological catalysis, which is often reflected in their amino acid sequences and unusual 'pseudocatalytic' properties.Enzymes are known to catalyze more than 5,000 biochemical reaction types. Other biocatalysts are catalytic RNA molecules, called ribozymes. Enzymes' specificity comes from their unique three-dimensional structures. Like all catalysts, enzymes increase the reaction rate by lowering its activation energy. Some enzymes can make their conversion of substrate to product occur many millions of times faster. An extreme example is orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase, which allows a reaction that would otherwise take millions of years to occur in milliseconds. Chemically, enzymes are like any catalyst and are not consumed in chemical reactions, nor do they alter the equilibrium of a reaction. Enzymes differ from most other catalysts by being much more specific. Enzyme activity can be affected by other molecules: inhibitors are molecules that decrease enzyme activity, and activators are molecules that increase activity. Many therapeutic drugs and poisons are enzyme inhibitors. An enzyme's activity decreases markedly outside its optimal temperature and pH, and many enzymes are (permanently) denatured when exposed to excessive heat, losing their structure and catalytic properties. Some enzymes are used commercially, for example, in the synthesis of antibiotics. Some household products use enzymes to speed up chemical reactions: enzymes in biological washing powders break down protein, starch or fat stains on clothes, and enzymes in meat tenderizer break down proteins into smaller molecules, making the meat easier to chew.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Enzymes

   Biological molecules that possess catalytic activity. They may occur naturally or be synthetically created. Enzymes are usually proteins, however CATALYTIC RNA and CATALYTIC DNA molecules have also been identified.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. enzymes

   Plural form of enzyme.

   The body processes a number enzymes every day in a variety of different bodily functions e.g. hormone release..

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 10, 2016  

How to pronounce enzymes?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say enzymes in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of enzymes in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of enzymes in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of enzymes in a Sentence

1. Robert Swift:

   If the stomach contains food, however, there are gastric juices and enzymes that mix the food and the alcohol, and only small amounts of food are passed into the intestine, now the alcohol is diluted in the stomach, and only a small quantity of alcohol is absorbed at any time.

2. Xiaying Li:

   Particular components in tea, such as polyphenols, may reduce blood glucose concentration by inhibiting the activity of α-glucosidase and/or inhibiting the activity of other enzymes, but a sufficient amount of the bioactive substance is required to be effective.

3. Robin Foroutan:

   I don't think the heat generated would be enough that it would kill enzymes or nutrients in the way cooking does.

4. Robert Swift:

   If somebody does shots on an empty stomach, for example, all that pure alcohol is not diluted by the stomach and is passed to the intestine very quickly, if the stomach contains food, however, there are gastric juices and enzymes that mix the food and the alcohol, and only small amounts of food are passed into the intestine.

5. Korneel Rabaey:

   We can look for new enzymes which could be used to degrade tough biomass.

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References

1. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzymes