The enzyme 1,4-lactonase (EC 3.1.1.25)

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 generic reaction :a 1,4-lactone + H₂O

\rightleftharpoons

a 4-hydroxyacid 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 acting on carboxylic

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an acid (either organic or inorganic) in which the hydrogen atom (H) of at least one acidic hydroxyl group () of that acid is replaced by an organyl group (R). These compounds contain a distin ...

bonds. 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 ...

is 1,4-lactone hydroxyacylhydrolase. It is also called γ-lactonase. It participates in galactose metabolism and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism. It employs one cofactor, Ca²⁺.

Structural studies

As of late 2007, three

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 .

Applications

In a study by Chen et al. a 1,4-lactonase was expressed in ''E. coli'' and used as a highly efficient biocatalyst for

asymmetric synthesis Enantioselective synthesis, also called asymmetric synthesis, is a form of chemical synthesis. It is defined by IUPAC as "a chemical reaction (or reaction sequence) in which one or more new elements of chirality are formed in a substrate molecul ...

of chiral compounds.

References

* * EC 3.1.1 Calcium enzymes Enzymes of known structure {{3.1-enzyme-stub