biology

Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase

Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase 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 Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase rather than just read about it. In short: In enzymology, a phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase (EC 1.14.11.18) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction phytanoyl-CoA + 2-oxoglutarate + O2 ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } 2-hydroxyphytanoyl-CoA + succinate + CO2 The three substrates of this enzyme are phytanoyl-CoA, 2-oxoglutarate (2OG), and O2, whereas its three products are 2-hydroxyphytanoyl-CoA, succinate, and CO2. This enzyme belongs to the family o…

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

In enzymology, a phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase (EC 1.14.11.18) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

phytanoyl-CoA + 2-oxoglutarate + O2 ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } 2-hydroxyphytanoyl-CoA + succinate + CO2

The three substrates of this enzyme are phytanoyl-CoA, 2-oxoglutarate (2OG), and O2, whereas its three products are 2-hydroxyphytanoyl-CoA, succinate, and CO2. This enzyme belongs to the family of iron(II)-dependent oxygenases, which typically incorporate one atom of dioxygen into the substrate and one atom into the succinate carboxylate group. The mechanism is complex, but is believed to involve ordered binding of 2-oxoglutarate to the iron(II) containing enzyme followed by substrate. Binding of substrate causes displacement of a water molecule from the iron(II) cofactor, leaving a vacant coordination position to which dioxygen binds. A rearrangement occurs to form a high energy iron-oxygen species (which is generally thought to be an iron(IV)=O species) that performs the actual oxidation reaction.

Nomenclature The systematic name of this enzyme class is phytanoyl-CoA, 2-oxoglutarate:oxygen oxidoreductase (2-hydroxylating). These enzymes are also called phytanoyl-CoA hydroxylases and phytanoyl-CoA alpha-hydroxylases.

Examples In humans, phytanoyl-CoA hydroxylase is encoded by the PHYH (aka PAHX) gene and is required for the alpha-oxidation of branched chain fatty acids (e.g. phytanic acid) in peroxisomes. PHYH deficiency results in the accumulation of large tissue stores of phytanic acid and is the major cause of Refsum disease.

Related enzymes Iron(II) and 2OG-dependent oxygenases are common in microorganisms, plants, and animals; the human genome is predicted to contain about 80 examples, and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana likely contains more. In plants and microorganisms this enzyme family is associated with a large diversity of oxidative reactions.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase 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 Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase 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 Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase 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 Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase

In research: Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase 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 Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase 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: Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EC 1.14.11, Enzymes of known structure, Genes on human chromosome 10, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase 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 Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase in simple terms?

In enzymology, a phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase (EC 1.14.11.18) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction phytanoyl-CoA + 2-oxoglutarate + O2 ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } 2-hydroxyphytanoyl-CoA + succinate + CO2 The three substrates of this enzyme are phytanoyl-CoA, 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)…

Why does Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase 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 Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase?

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 Phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase.