The enzyme α-
L-fucosidase ()
catalyzes
Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...
the following
chemical reaction
A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemistry, chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. When chemical reactions occur, the atoms are rearranged and the reaction is accompanied by an Gibbs free energy, ...
: an α-
L-fucoside + H
2O
L-fucose + an alcohol
This enzyme belongs to the family of
hydrolase
In biochemistry, hydrolases constitute a class of enzymes that commonly function as biochemical catalysts that use water to break a chemical bond:
:\ce \quad \xrightarrowtext\quad \ce
This typically results in dividing a larger molecule into s ...
s, specifically those glycosidases that hydrolyse ''O''- and ''S''-glycosyl compounds. 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 semitrivi ...
of this enzyme class is α-
L-fucoside fucohydrolase. This enzyme is also called α-fucosidase. It participates in
''N''-glycan degradation and glycan structure degradation.
Deficiency of this enzyme is called
fucosidosis
Fucosidosis is a rare lysosomal storage disorder in which the FUCA1 gene experiences mutations that severely reduce or stop the activity of the alpha-L-fucosidase enzyme. The result is a buildup of complex sugars in parts of the body, which lea ...
.
In
CAZy
CAZy is a database of Carbohydrate-Active enZYmes (CAZymes). The database contains a classification and associated information about enzymes involved in the synthesis, metabolism, and recognition of complex carbohydrates, i.e. disaccharides, oli ...
, α-
L-fucosidases are found in
glycoside hydrolase family 29 and glycoside hydrolase family 95.
Structural studies
As of late 2007, 3
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 .
Human medical studies
It was in a recent study by Endreffy,
Bjørklund and collaborators (2017) found an association between the activity of α-
L-fucosidase-1 (FUCA-1) and chronic autoimmune disorders in children.
[Endreffy I, Bjørklund G, Szerafin L, Urbina MA, Chirumbolo S, Endreffy E. Plasma alpha-L-fucosidase activity in chronic inflammation and autoimmune disorders in a pediatric cohort of hospitalized patients. Immunologic Research 2017. doi: 10.1007/s12026-017-8943-x.] This should encourage further research on FUCA-1 as a marker of chronic inflammation and autoimmunity.
See also
*
1,2-α-L-fucosidase
*
1,3-α-L-fucosidase
*
1,6-α-L-fucosidase
*
FUCA1
*
FUCA2
Plasma alpha-L-fucosidase (see alpha-L-fucosidase) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''FUCA2'' gene.
See also
* Tissue alpha-L-fucosidase
Tissue alpha-L-fucosidase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''FUCA1'' gene.
Alph ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
CAZy family GH29
Protein families
EC 3.2.1
Enzymes of known structure
{{3.2-enzyme-stub