3-dehydroquinate Dehydratase - Role in The Shikimate Pathway

Role in The Shikimate Pathway

3-Dehydroquinate Dehydratase is an enzyme that catalyzes the third step of the shikimate pathway. The shikimate pathway is a biosynthetic pathway that allows plants, fungi, and bacteria to produce aromatic amino acids. Mammals do not have this pathway, meaning that they must obtain these essential amino acids through their diet. Aromatic Amino acids include Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, and Tryptophan.

This enzyme dehydrates 3-Dehydroquinate, converting it to 3-Dehydroshikimate, as indicated in the diagram on the right. This is the third step in the Shikimate pathway. It belongs to the family of lyases, specifically the hydro-lyases, which cleave carbon-oxygen bonds. The systematic name of this enzyme class is 3-dehydroquinate hydro-lyase (3-dehydroshikimate-forming). This enzyme is one of the few examples of convergent evolution. The two separate versions of this enzyme have different amino acid sequences.

3-Dehydroquinate dehydratase is also commonly referred to as Dehydroquinate dehydratase and DHQD. Other names include 3-dehydroquinate hydrolase, DHQase, 3-dehydroquinase, 5-dehydroquinase, dehydroquinase, 5-dehydroquinate dehydratase, 5-dehydroquinate hydro-lyase, and 3-dehydroquinate hydro-lyase.

Read more about this topic:  3-dehydroquinate Dehydratase

Famous quotes containing the words role in, role and/or pathway:

    Always and everywhere children take an active role in the construction and acquisition of learning and understanding. To learn is a satisfying experience, but also, as the psychologist Nelson Goodman tells us, to understand is to experience desire, drama, and conquest.
    Carolyn Edwards (20th century)

    Language makes it possible for a child to incorporate his parents’ verbal prohibitions, to make them part of himself....We don’t speak of a conscience yet in the child who is just acquiring language, but we can see very clearly how language plays an indispensable role in the formation of conscience. In fact, the moral achievement of man, the whole complex of factors that go into the organization of conscience is very largely based upon language.
    Selma H. Fraiberg (20th century)

    Many are obstinate with regard to the pathway once they have set upon it, few with regard to the goal.
    Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)