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 acetylornithine transaminase () is an

enzyme 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 ...

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 A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the IUPAC nomenclature for organic transformations, chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Classically, chemical reactions encompass changes that only involve the pos ...

:N₂-acetyl-L-ornithine + 2-oxoglutarate

\rightleftharpoons

N-acetyl-L-glutamate 5-semialdehyde + L-glutamate Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are

N2-acetyl-L-ornithine N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

and 2-oxoglutarate, whereas its two

products Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution Mathematics * Produ ...

are N-acetyl-L-glutamate 5-semialdehyde and

L-glutamate Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can synt ...

. This enzyme belongs to the family of

transferase A transferase is any one of a class of enzymes that catalyse the transfer of specific functional groups (e.g. a methyl or glycosyl group) from one molecule (called the donor) to another (called the acceptor). They are involved in hundreds of di ...

s, specifically the

transaminases Transaminases or aminotransferases are enzymes that catalyze a transamination reaction between an amino acid and an α-keto acid. They are important in the synthesis of amino acids, which form proteins. Function and mechanism An amino acid co ...

, which transfer nitrogenous groups. The

systematic name A systematic name is a name given in a systematic way to one unique group, organism, object or chemical substance, out of a specific population or collection. Systematic names are usually part of a nomenclature. A semisystematic name or semitrivial ...

of this enzyme class is N2-acetyl-L-ornithine:2-oxoglutarate 5-aminotransferase. Other names in common use include acetylornithine delta-transaminase, ACOAT, acetylornithine 5-aminotransferase, acetylornithine aminotransferase, N-acetylornithine aminotransferase, N-acetylornithine-delta-transaminase, N2-acetylornithine 5-transaminase, N2-acetyl-L-ornithine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, succinylornithine aminotransferase, and 2-N-acetyl-L-ornithine:2-oxoglutarate 5-aminotransferase. This enzyme participates in

urea cycle and metabolism of amino groups The urea cycle (also known as the ornithine cycle) is a cycle of biochemical reactions that produces urea (NH2)2CO from ammonia (NH3). Animals that use this cycle, mainly amphibians and mammals, are called ureotelic. The urea cycle converts high ...

. It employs one cofactor,

pyridoxal phosphate Pyridoxal phosphate (PLP, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, P5P), the active form of vitamin B6, is a coenzyme in a variety of enzymatic reactions. The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has catalogued more than 140 PLP-dependent ac ...

Structural studies

As of late 2007, 6

structures A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes , , , , , and .

References

* * * EC 2.6.1 Pyridoxal phosphate enzymes Enzymes of known structure {{2.6-enzyme-stub