ENZIME

BASIC CLASSES OF ENZYMES

Oxidoreductases –
catalyze oxidations or reductions. Examples: dehydrogenases, oxidases, and peroxidases.

Transferases –
catalyze the transfer of a group from one molecule to another. Examples: Phosphatases, transaminases, and transmethylases.

Hydrolases –
catalyze hydrolysis reactions. Examples: digestive enzymes such as sucrase, amylase, maltase, and lactase.

Lyases –
catalyze the removal of groups in non-aqueous media. An example would be the decarboxylases.

Isomerases –
catalyze the isomerization of molecules. Examples: racemases, and cis-trans isomerases.

Ligases
(aka synthetases) - catalyze condensation reactions where smaller molecules are connected with the resulting removal of a water molecule. This is accompanied by the formation of a high energy Phosphate link that stores energy. An example would be the amino acid RNA ligases.