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 ...

, a cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase () 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 :cinnamyl alcohol + NADP⁺

\rightleftharpoons

cinnamaldehyde + NADPH + H⁺ Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are cinnamyl alcohol and NADP⁺, whereas its 3 products are

cinnamaldehyde Cinnamaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula(C9H8O) C6H5CH=CHCHO. Occurring naturally as predominantly the ''trans'' (''E'') isomer, it gives cinnamon its flavor and odor. It is a phenylpropanoid that is naturally synthesized by the shik ...

NADPH Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, abbreviated NADP or, in older notation, TPN (triphosphopyridine nucleotide), is a cofactor used in anabolic reactions, such as the Calvin cycle and lipid and nucleic acid syntheses, which require NAD ...

, and H⁺. This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, specifically those acting on the CH-OH group of donor with NAD⁺ or NADP⁺ as acceptor. The systematic name of this enzyme class is cinnamyl-alcohol:NADP⁺ oxidoreductase. Other names in common use include cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase, and CAD. This enzyme participates in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.

Structural studies

As of late 2007, 4 structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes , , , and .

References

* * * EC 1.1.1 NADPH-dependent enzymes Enzymes of known structure Phenylpropanoids metabolism {{1.1.1-enzyme-stub