Synzymes are substances with catalytic capabilities. The name synzyme is derived from synthetic enzyme. Current synzymes consist mainly of organic molecules tailored in such a way that they catalyse certain kinds of reactions. Like enzymes, they bind a transition state of a substrate in an active site, and like enzymes they generally obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Derivatised proteins: If u(NH₃)₅sup>3+ is attached to certain histidine residues in a

myoglobin Myoglobin (symbol Mb or MB) is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue of vertebrates in general and in almost all mammals. Myoglobin is distantly related to hemoglobin. Compared to hemoglobin, myoglobi ...

protein, myoglobin is no longer a passive oxygen carrier, but gains enzymatic activity of an

oxidase In biochemistry, an oxidase is an enzyme that catalyzes oxidation-reduction reactions, especially one involving dioxygen (O2) as the electron acceptor. In reactions involving donation of a hydrogen atom, oxygen is reduced to water (H2O) or hydro ...

Ascorbic acid Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...

is oxidised with molecular oxygen.

Antibodies An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

can act as enzymes, then named

abzyme An abzyme (from antibody and enzyme), also called catmab (from catalytic monoclonal antibody), and most often called catalytic antibody or sometimes catab, is a monoclonal antibody with catalytic activity. Abzymes are usually raised in lab animals ...

s, if they are selected against transition state analogues. Abzymes have a low K_M, meaning that they readily bind a target molecule, but have low V_max values, indicating a slow reaction rate. Synzymes from organic molecules:

Cyclodextrins Cyclodextrins are a family of cyclic oligosaccharides, consisting of a macrocyclic ring of glucose subunits joined by α-1,4 glycosidic bonds. Cyclodextrins are produced from starch by enzymatic conversion. They are used in food, pharmaceutical, ...

are cap structures with a hydrophilic exterior but a hydrophobic interior. If pyridoxal is anchored in the interior the cyclodextran shows transaminase activity.

References

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External links

*http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/biology/enztech/artificial.html {{enzyme-stub Enzymes

See also

References

External links