biology

Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase

Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase is a biology 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 Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase rather than just read about it. In short: Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase is an enzyme that catalyzes the reaction which converts Leukotriene A4 to Leukotriene B4. It is a bifunctional zinc enzyme (EC 3.3.2.6) with different amino acids attached to it to aid in the catalysis of the reaction.

Key takeaways

Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase is an enzyme that catalyzes the reaction which converts Leukotriene A4 to Leukotriene B4. It is a bifunctional zinc enzyme (EC 3.3.2.6) with different amino acids attached to it to aid in the catalysis of the reaction. It also acts as an aminopeptidase. Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase is a cytosolic protein and is found in almost all mammalian cells, tissues and organelles that have been examined.

Function This enzyme belongs to the family of hydrolases, specifically those acting on ether bonds (ether hydrolases). The systematic name of this enzyme class is (7E,9E,11Z,14Z)-(5S,6S)-5,6-epoxyicosa-7,9,11,14-tetraenoate hydrolase. Other names in common use include LTA4 hydrolase, LTA4H, and leukotriene A4 hydrolase. This enzyme participates in arachidonic acid metabolism.

Catalyzed reaction Leukotriene A4 Hydrolase catalyzes the reaction which converts leukotriene A4 to leukotriene B4. The Leukotriene A4 structure contains an epoxide ring functional group, which are highly reactive due to its ring strain making them extremely electrophilic. This drives the reaction forward, favouring the products Leukotriene B4. Leukotriene A4 hydrolase adds a water molecule across the epoxide ring on Leukotriene A4. The addition of the water molecule opens the epoxide ring and causes the formation of the Hydroxy group at the carbon attached to the oxygen from the epoxide. The second carbon involved in the epoxide ring remains the same resulting in leukotriene B4. The water molecule attacking the double bond also forms into a hydroxy group after work-up. The product of the reaction is Leukotriene B4.

Structure As of late 2007, 4 structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes PDB: 1GW6, PDB: 1H19, PDB: 1HS6, and PDB: 1SQM.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, 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 Leukotriene-A4 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 Leukotriene-A4 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 Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase

In research: Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase appears in biology 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 Leukotriene-A4 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: Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EC 3.3.2, Enzymes of known structure, Genes on human chromosome 12, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Leukotriene-A4 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Leukotriene-A4 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 Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase in simple terms?

Why does Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase matter?

Because it connects several biology 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 Leukotriene-A4 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 Leukotriene-A4 hydrolase.