ASPARTATE TRANSCARBAMYLASE Meaning and
Definition
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Aspartate Transcarbamylase (ATCase) is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the metabolic pathway of amino acid biosynthesis. It is involved in the catalysis of the reaction between carbamoyl phosphate and L-aspartate to form N-carbamoyl-L-aspartate, an important intermediate in the synthesis of pyrimidines.
ATCase is primarily found in bacteria and other microorganisms, as well as in plants and animals. It is an allosteric enzyme consisting of multiple subunits, typically organized in a hexameric structure. The enzyme contains two different types of subunits, namely catalytic (C) subunits and regulatory (R) subunits, which come together to form a catalytic core.
The catalytic C subunits with their active sites are responsible for the actual conversion of reactants into products. The regulatory R subunits, on the other hand, play a regulatory role by binding to molecules known as effector molecules. These effector molecules can be either inhibitors or activators, and they modulate the activity of ATCase by altering its affinity for its substrate, L-aspartate.
The enzymatic activity of ATCase is tightly controlled in response to the availability of nucleotides and amino acids, ensuring that the production of pyrimidines is in balance with the intracellular concentration of these molecules. This regulation is crucial for maintaining cell homeostasis and for proper growth and development. ATCase is hence considered a key regulatory enzyme in the purine/pyrimidine biosynthetic pathways and a significant target for pharmaceutical interventions aimed at inhibiting cancer cell growth.
Common Misspellings for ASPARTATE TRANSCARBAMYLASE
- zspartate transcarbamylase
- sspartate transcarbamylase
- wspartate transcarbamylase
- qspartate transcarbamylase
- aapartate transcarbamylase
- azpartate transcarbamylase
- axpartate transcarbamylase
- adpartate transcarbamylase
- aepartate transcarbamylase
- awpartate transcarbamylase
- asoartate transcarbamylase
- aslartate transcarbamylase
- as-artate transcarbamylase
- as0artate transcarbamylase
- aspzrtate transcarbamylase
- aspsrtate transcarbamylase
- aspwrtate transcarbamylase
- aspqrtate transcarbamylase
- aspaetate transcarbamylase
- aspadtate transcarbamylase
Etymology of ASPARTATE TRANSCARBAMYLASE
The word "aspartate" in "Aspartate Transcarbamylase" is derived from the amino acid "aspartic acid", which is one of the building blocks of proteins. Aspartic acid was named from "asparagus", the plant from which it was initially isolated.
"Transcarbamylase" is derived from the combination of the prefix "trans-", which means "across" or "through", and "carbamyl", which refers to the chemical group known as a carbamyl group. Thus, "transcarbamylase" refers to an enzyme involved in transferring the carbamyl group across a molecule or catalyzing a reaction involving the carbamyl group.
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