Carboxy-lyases, also known as decarboxylases, are
carbon–carbon lyases that add or remove a
carboxyl
In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...
group from
organic compound
In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. T ...
s. These
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 ...
s catalyze the decarboxylation of amino acids, beta-keto acids and alpha-keto acids.
Classification and nomenclature
Carboxy-lyases are categorized under
EC number 4.1.1.
Usually, they are named after the substrate whose
decarboxylation they
catalyze
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 ...
, for example
pyruvate decarboxylase catalyzes the decarboxylation of
pyruvate.
Examples
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Aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase
Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC or AAAD), also known as DOPA decarboxylase (DDC), tryptophan decarboxylase, and 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase, is a lyase enzyme (), located in region 7p12.2-p12.1.
Mechanism
The enzyme uses pyrid ...
*
Glutamate decarboxylase
Glutamate decarboxylase or glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is an enzyme that catalyzes the decarboxylation of glutamate to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and carbon dioxide (). GAD uses pyridoxal-phosphate (PLP) as a cofactor. The reaction p ...
*
Histidine decarboxylase
The enzyme histidine decarboxylase (, HDC) is transcribed on chromosome 15, region 21.2, and catalyzes the decarboxylation of histidine to form histamine. In mammals, histamine is an important biogenic amine with regulatory roles in neurotransmi ...
*
Ornithine decarboxylase
The enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (, ODC) catalyzes the decarboxylation of ornithine (a product of the urea cycle) to form putrescine. This reaction is the committed step in polyamine synthesis. In humans, this protein has 461 amino acids a ...
*
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (also known as PEP carboxylase, PEPCase, or PEPC; , PDB ID: 3ZGE) is an enzyme in the family of carboxy-lyases found in plants and some bacteria that catalyzes the addition of bicarbonate (HCO3−) to phosphoenol ...
*
Pyruvate decarboxylase
*
RuBisCO
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase, commonly known by the abbreviations RuBisCo, rubisco, RuBPCase, or RuBPco, is an enzyme () involved in the first major step of carbon fixation, a process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is con ...
– the only carboxylase that leads to a net fixation of carbon dioxide
*
Uridine monophosphate synthetase
The enzyme Uridine monophosphate synthase (, UMPS) (orotate phosphoribosyl transferase and orotidine-5'-decarboxylase) catalyses the formation of uridine monophosphate (UMP), an energy-carrying molecule in many important biosynthetic pathways. In h ...
*
Uroporphyrinogen III decarboxylase
Uroporphyrinogen III decarboxylase (uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase, or UROD) is an enzyme () that in humans is encoded by the ''UROD'' gene.
Function
Uroporphyrinogen III decarboxylase is a homodimeric enzyme () that catalyzes the fifth step i ...
* enoyl-CoA carboxylases/reductases (ECRs)
See also
*
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 ...
s
*
Lyases
*
List of EC numbers of enzymes belonging to category EC 4.1
References
External links
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{{4.1-enzyme-stub