In
enzymology
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. A ...
, an alpha-1,3-glucan synthase () is an
enzyme that
catalyzes
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
the
chemical reaction
:UDP-glucose +
lpha-D-glucosyl-(1-3) UDP +
lpha-D-glucosyl-(1-3)+1
Thus, the two
substrates of this enzyme are
UDP-glucose and
lpha-D-glucosyl-(1-3)">
lpha-D-glucosyl-(1-3), whereas its two
products are
UDP and
lpha-D-glucosyl-(1-3)+1">
lpha-D-glucosyl-(1-3)+1.
This enzyme belongs to the family of
glycosyltransferases, specifically the hexosyltransferases. The
systematic name of this enzyme class is UDP-glucose:alpha-D-(1-3)-glucan 3-alpha-D-glucosyltransferase. Other names in common use include uridine diphosphoglucose-1,3-alpha-glucan glucosyltransferase, and 1,3-alpha-D-glucan synthase.
References
*
EC 2.4.1
Enzymes of unknown structure
{{2.4-enzyme-stub