In enzymology, a chalcone isomerase () 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 ...

that catalyzes 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 ...

:a chalcone

\rightleftharpoons

a flavanone Hence, this enzyme has one substrate, a chalcone, and one

product 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 ...

, a flavanone. This enzyme belongs to the family of

isomerase Isomerases are a general class of enzymes that convert a molecule from one isomer to another. Isomerases facilitate intramolecular rearrangements in which bonds are broken and formed. The general form of such a reaction is as follows: A–B � ...

s, specifically the class of intramolecular lyases. 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 flavanone lyase (decyclizing). This enzyme is also called chalcone-flavanone isomerase. This enzyme participates in flavonoid biosynthesis. The ''Petunia hybrida'' (Petunia)

genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding g ...

contains two genes coding for very similar enzymes, ChiA and ChiB, but only the first seems to encode a functional chalcone isomerase.

Structural studies

As of late 2007, 7

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 . Chalcone isomerase has a core 2-layer alpha/beta structure consisting of beta(3)-alpha(2)-beta-alpha(2)-beta(3).

Structural studies

References

Further reading