In enzymology, a dihydropyrimidinase () 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 ...

:5,6-dihydrouracil + H₂O

\rightleftharpoons

3-ureidopropanoate Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are 5,6-dihydrouracil and H₂O, whereas its

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 ...

is 3-ureidopropanoate. This enzyme belongs to the family of

hydrolase Hydrolase is a class of enzyme that commonly perform as biochemical catalysts that use water to break a chemical bond, which typically results in dividing a larger molecule into smaller molecules. Some common examples of hydrolase enzymes are este ...

s, those acting on carbon-nitrogen bonds other than peptide bonds, specifically in cyclic amides. 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 5,6-dihydropyrimidine amidohydrolase. Other names in common use include hydantoinase, hydropyrimidine hydrase, hydantoin peptidase, pyrimidine hydrase, and D-hydantoinase. This enzyme participates in 3

metabolic pathways In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a linked series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. The reactants, products, and intermediates of an enzymatic reaction are known as metabolites, which are modified by a sequence of chemical re ...

pyrimidine metabolism Pyrimidine biosynthesis occurs both in the body and through organic synthesis. ''De novo'' biosynthesis of pyrimidine ''De Novo'' biosynthesis of a pyrimidine is catalyzed by three gene products CAD, DHODH and UMPS. The first three enzymes of ...

, beta-alanine metabolism, and pantothenate and coa biosynthesis.

Structural studies

As of late 2007, 10

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 .

References

* * EC 3.5.2 Enzymes of known structure {{3.5-enzyme-stub