Specificity is one of the main characteristics of enzymes. It prevents the formation of by-products which happens with chemical catalysts. Specificity may be observed on the one hand in the type of reaction catalyzed by the enzyme, and on the other hand in the substrate of the reaction. Reaction-Related Specificity: A given substrate, an α-amino acid for example, can undergo [...]
In this article we will discuss about the substances that liberate one or more monosaccharides on hydrolysis. The Oligo- and Polysaccharides: Holosides therefore consist exclusively of monosaccharides. Depending on the number of molecules of monosaccharides liberated during hydrolysis there are disaccharides, trisaccharides, etc. We will study particularly two groups of compounds: the disaccharides and the polysaccharides. 1. Disaccharides: There are [...]
In this article we will discuss about the pentose phosphates cycle, explained with the help of suitable diagrams. This series of reactions enables the cells to metabolize glucose-6-℗ without using the glycolytic pathways; it is therefore also called "hexosemonophosphate shunt", or "phosphogluconate pathway" (after the name of one of the intermediates of the cycle), or "Dickens-Horecker pathway" (in view of [...]