Question

Explain the classification of enzymes.

Answer 1

Hint: Enzymes are highly specific and specialized proteins and have a high degree of specificity to their substrates.

Complete answer:
 Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts to increase the rate of chemical reaction without itself being changed in the reaction.
Some rules for naming the enzymes were given the enzyme commission. According to it, each enzyme is classified and named according to the type of chemical reaction it catalyzes.
Enzymes are classified as:
>Oxidoreductase- It catalyzes the oxidation-reduction reactions. For example,
>Oxidases: It uses oxygen as an electron acceptor but does not incorporate it into the substrate.
>Peroxidases: Use $H_2O_2$ as an electron acceptor.
>Transferases- It catalyzes the reactions that involve transfer of groups from one molecule to another. Example, amino, carboxyl, methyl, phosphoryl, acyl and some names also have trans- as their prefix.
>Trans Carboxylases: Transfers a carboxylate to a substrate.
>Kinases: Transfer phosphate from ATP to substrate.
>Hydrolases- These are hydrolytic enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis reaction by adding water to cleave the bond and hydrolyze it.
>Phosphatases: Removes phosphate from a substrate.
>Peptidases: Cleave amide bonds such as in the proteins.
>Lyases- These are enzymes that catalyze the breaking of C-C, C-O, C-S, C-N and other bonds by ways other than oxidation or hydrolysis. They are cleaved by processes like elimination and result in the formation of a double bond or a new ring, or by adding groups to double bonds. Example,
>Aldolases: Removes aldehydes by elimination reaction.
>Decarboxylases: Removes CO2 by elimination reaction.
>Isomerases- catalyze the structural shifts present in the molecule and results in change in the shape of the molecule.
>Mutases: Catalyze the intramolecular transfer of functional groups.
>Racemases: Interconvert L and D stereoisomers.
>Ligases- It catalyzes the formation of several bonds with hydrolysis of ATP. Example,
>Carboxylases: Uses $CO_2$ as a substrate.

Note:Many enzymes have common names but it provided little information about the reactions that the enzymes catalyzed. Hence, an International Commission on enzymes was established to create a systematic basis for enzyme nomenclature.