The

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 ...

ketotetrose-phosphate aldolase ()

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 ...

:erythrulose 1-phosphate

\rightleftharpoons

glycerone phosphate + formaldehyde Hence, this enzyme has one substrate, erythrulose 1-phosphate, and two products,

dihydroxyacetone phosphate Dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP, also glycerone phosphate in older texts) is the anion with the formula HOCH2C(O)CH2OPO32-. This anion is involved in many metabolic pathways, including the Calvin cycle in plants and glycolysis.Nelson, D. L.; ...

and

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section F ...

. This enzyme belongs to the family of

lyase In biochemistry, a lyase is an enzyme that catalyzes the breaking (an elimination reaction) of various chemical bonds by means other than hydrolysis (a substitution reaction) and oxidation, often forming a new double bond or a new ring structure. ...

s, specifically the aldehyde-lyases, which cleave carbon-carbon bonds. The systematic name of this enzyme class is erythrulose-1-phosphate formaldehyde-lyase (glycerone-phosphate-forming). Other names in common use include phosphoketotetrose aldolase, erythrulose-1-phosphate synthetase, erythrose-1-phosphate synthase, and erythrulose-1-phosphate formaldehyde-lyase.

References

* EC 4.1.2 Enzymes of unknown structure {{4.1-enzyme-stub