L-3-cyanoalanine synthase
Encyclopedia
In enzymology, a L-3-cyanoalanine synthase is an enzyme
that catalyzes
the chemical reaction
Thus, the two substrates
of this enzyme are L-cysteine and hydrogen cyanide, whereas its two products
are L-3-cyanoalanine and hydrogen sulfide
.
This enzyme belongs to the family of lyase
s, specifically the class of carbon-sulfur lyases. The systematic name of this enzyme class is L-cysteine hydrogen-sulfide-lyase (adding hydrogen cyanide L-3-cyanoalanine-forming). Other names in common use include beta-cyanoalanine synthase, beta-cyanoalanine synthetase, beta-cyano-L-alanine synthase, and L-cysteine hydrogen-sulfide-lyase (adding HCN). This enzyme participates in cyanoamino acid metabolism.
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
that catalyzes
Catalysis
Catalysis is the change in rate of a chemical reaction due to the participation of a substance called a catalyst. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. A catalyst may participate in multiple chemical transformations....
the chemical reaction
Chemical reaction
A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Chemical reactions can be either spontaneous, requiring no input of energy, or non-spontaneous, typically following the input of some type of energy, such as heat, light or electricity...
- L-cysteine + hydrogen cyanide
L-3-cyanoalanine + hydrogen sulfide
Thus, the two substrates
Substrate (biochemistry)
In biochemistry, a substrate is a molecule upon which an enzyme acts. Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions involving the substrate. In the case of a single substrate, the substrate binds with the enzyme active site, and an enzyme-substrate complex is formed. The substrate is transformed into one or...
of this enzyme are L-cysteine and hydrogen cyanide, whereas its two products
Product (chemistry)
Product are formed during chemical reactions as reagents are consumed. Products have lower energy than the reagents and are produced during the reaction according to the second law of thermodynamics. The released energy comes from changes in chemical bonds between atoms in reagent molecules and...
are L-3-cyanoalanine and hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
.
This enzyme belongs to the family of lyase
Lyase
In biochemistry, a lyase is an enzyme that catalyzes the breaking of various chemical bonds by means other than hydrolysis and oxidation, often forming a new double bond or a new ring structure...
s, specifically the class of carbon-sulfur lyases. The systematic name of this enzyme class is L-cysteine hydrogen-sulfide-lyase (adding hydrogen cyanide L-3-cyanoalanine-forming). Other names in common use include beta-cyanoalanine synthase, beta-cyanoalanine synthetase, beta-cyano-L-alanine synthase, and L-cysteine hydrogen-sulfide-lyase (adding HCN). This enzyme participates in cyanoamino acid metabolism.