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 ...
lactate 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 ...
:(''S'')-lactate
formate + acetaldehyde
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 (S)-lactate acetaldehyde-lyase (formate-forming). Other names in common use include lactate synthase, and (S)-lactate acetaldehyde-lyase. This enzyme participates in
pyruvate metabolism
Pyruvic acid (CH3COCOOH) is the simplest of the alpha-keto acids, with a carboxylic acid and a ketone functional group. Pyruvate, the conjugate base
A conjugate acid, within the Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, is a chemical compoun ...
.
References
*
EC 4.1.2
Enzymes of unknown structure
{{4.1-enzyme-stub