science

Hydrolase

Hydrolase is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hydrolase rather than just read about it. In short: In biochemistry, hydrolases constitute a class of enzymes that commonly function as biochemical catalysts that use water to break a chemical bond: A − B + H 2 O → h y d r o l a s e A − OH + B − H {\displaystyle {\ce {A-B + H2O}}\quad {\xrightarrow[{\text{ }}]{hydrolase}}\quad {\ce {A-OH + B-H}}} This typically results in dividing a larger molecule into smaller molecules. Some common examples of hydrolase enzymes are…

Key takeaways

Hydrolase belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hydrolase to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hydrolase from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In biochemistry, hydrolases constitute a class of enzymes that commonly function as biochemical catalysts that use water to break a chemical bond:

A − B + H 2 O → h y d r o l a s e A − OH + B − H {\displaystyle {\ce {A-B + H2O}}\quad {\xrightarrow[{\text{ }}]{hydrolase}}\quad {\ce {A-OH + B-H}}}

This typically results in dividing a larger molecule into smaller molecules. Some common examples of hydrolase enzymes are esterases including lipases, phosphatases, glycosidases, peptidases, and nucleosidases. Esterases cleave ester bonds in lipids and phosphatases cleave phosphate groups off molecules. An example of crucial esterase is acetylcholine esterase, which assists in transforming the neuron impulse into the acetate group after the hydrolase breaks the acetylcholine into choline and acetic acid. Acetic acid is an important metabolite in the body and a critical intermediate for other reactions such as glycolysis. Lipases hydrolyze glycerides. Glycosidases cleave sugar molecules off carbohydrates and peptidases hydrolyze peptide bonds. Nucleosidases hydrolyze the bonds of nucleotides. Hydrolase enzymes are important for the body because they have degradative properties. In lipids, lipases contribute to the breakdown of fats and lipoproteins and other larger molecules into smaller molecules like fatty acids and glycerol. Fatty acids and other small molecules are used for synthesis and as a source of energy.

Nomenclature Systematic names of hydrolases are formed as "substrate hydrolase." However, common names are typically in the form "substrate base". For example, a nuclease is a hydrolase that cleaves nucleic acids.

Classification Hydrolases are classified as EC 3 in the EC number classification of enzymes. Hydrolases can be further classified into several subclasses, based upon the bonds they act upon:

EC 3.1: ester bonds (esterases: nucleases, phosphodiesterases, lipase, phosphatase) EC 3.2: sugars (DNA glycosylases, glycoside hydrolase) EC 3.3: ether bonds EC 3.4: peptide bonds (Proteases/peptidases) EC 3.5: carbon-nitrogen bonds, other than peptide bonds EC 3.6 acid anhydrides (acid anhydride hydrolases, including helicases and GTPase) EC 3.7 carbon-carbon bonds EC 3.8 halide bonds EC 3.9: phosphorus-nitrogen bonds EC 3.10: sulphur-nitrogen bonds EC 3.11: carbon-phosphorus bonds EC 3.12: sulfur-sulfur bonds EC 3.13: carbon-sulfur bonds

Clinical considerations Hydrolase secreted by Lactobacillus jensenii in the human gut stimulates the liver to secrete bile salts that aids in the digestion of food.

Membrane-associated hydrolases Many hydrolases, and especially proteases associate with biological membranes as peripheral membrane proteins or anchored through a single transmembrane helix. Some others are multi-span transmembrane proteins, for example rhomboid protease.

Etymology and pronunciation The word hydrolase () suffixes the combining form of -ase to the hydrol syllables of hydrolysis.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hydrolase

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hydrolase claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hydrolase before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hydrolase ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hydrolase

In research: Hydrolase appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hydrolase in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hydrolase is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Hydrolases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hydrolase outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hydrolase in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hydrolase means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hydrolase out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hydrolase in simple terms?

In biochemistry, hydrolases constitute a class of enzymes that commonly function as biochemical catalysts that use water to break a chemical bond: A − B + H 2 O → h y d r o l a s e A − OH + B − H {\displaystyle {\ce {A-B + H2O}}\quad {\xrightarrow[{\text{ }}]{hydrolase}}\quad {\ce {A-OH + B-H}}} Th…

Why does Hydrolase matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hydrolase?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hydrolase.