UNITIII

ClassificationandNomenclatureofEnzymes
R.KAVITHA,M.PHARM
LECTURER,
DEPARTMENTOFPHARMACUTICS
SRMCOLEGEOFPHARMACY
SRMUNIVERITY

Trivalname

Givesnoideaofsource,functionorreaction
catalyzedbytheenzyme.
Example:trypsin,thrombin,pepsin.

SystematicName

AccordingtotheInternationalunionOf
Biochemistryanenzymenamehastwoparts:
Firstpartisthenameofthesubstrates
fortheenzyme.
Secondpartisthetypeofreaction
catalyzedbytheenzyme.Thispartendswith
thesuffixase.
Example:Lactatedehydrogenase

ECnumber

Enzymesareclassifiedintosixdifferentgroups
accordingtothereactionbeingcatalyzed.The
nomenclaturewasdeterminedbytheEnzyme
Commissionin1961(withthelatestupdate
havingoccurredin1992),henceallenzymes
areassignedanECnumber.The
classificationdoesnottakeintoaccount
aminoacidsequence(ie,homology),protein
structure,orchemicalmechanism.

ECnumbers

ECnumbersarefourdigits,forexamplea.b.c.d,
whereaistheclass,bisthesubclass,cis
thesubsubclass,anddisthesubsubsubclass.
Thebandcdigitsdescribethereaction,while
theddigitisusedtodistinguishbetween
differentenzymesofthesamefunctionbasedon
theactualsubstrateinthereaction.
Example:forAlcohol:NAD+oxidoreductaseEC
numberis1.1.1.1

TheSixClasses

EC1.Oxidoreductases
EC2.Transferases
EC3.Hydrolases
EC4.Lyases
EC5.Isomerases
EC6.Ligases

Alistofthesubclassesforeachclassisgivenbelow.Additional
informationonthesubsubclassesandsubsubsubclasses(ie,full
enzymeclassificationandnames)canbefoundatthereferenced
weblink.
FromtheWebversion,
http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/enzyme/index.html

EC1.Oxidoreductases

EC1.Oxidoreductases:catalyzethetransfer
ofhydrogenoroxygenatomsorelectrons
fromonesubstratetoanother,alsocalled
oxidases,dehydrogenases,orreductases.
Notethatsincetheseareredoxreactions,
anelectrondonor/acceptorisalsorequired
tocompletethereaction.

EC2.Transferases

EC2.Transferases catalyzegrouptransfer
reactions,excludingoxidoreductases(which
transferhydrogenoroxygenandareEC1).
Theseareofthegeneralform:
AX+BBX+A

EC3.Hydrolases

EC3.Hydrolases catalyzehydrolytic
reactions.Includeslipases,esterases,
nitrilases,peptidases/proteases.Theseareof
thegeneralform:
AX+H2OXOH+HA

EC4.Lyases

EC4.Lyases catalyzenonhydrolytic(covered
inEC3)removaloffunctionalgroupsfrom
substrates,oftencreatingadoublebondinthe
product;orthereversereaction,ie,additionof
functiongroupsacrossadoublebond.
ABA=B+XY
XY
Includesdecarboxylasesandaldolasesinthe
removaldirection,andsynthasesintheaddition
direction.

EC5.Isomerases

EC5.Isomerases catalyzesisomerization
reactions,includingracemizationsandcis
tranisomerizations.

EC6.Ligases

EC6.Ligases catalyzesthesynthesisof
various(mostlyCX)bonds,coupledwiththe
breakdownofenergycontainingsubstrates,
usuallyATP