Hüdrolaasi

Hüdrolaasi, or hydrolase, is a broad family of enzymes (EC class 3) that catalyze hydrolysis reactions—the chemical splitting of bonds by reaction with water. These enzymes act on a wide range of substrates, including proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and other biological molecules.

Most hydrolases use a defined active site that activates a water molecule for nucleophilic attack on the target bond. Catalysis often involves specific amino acid residues or metal ions and can proceed via acid-base, covalent, or metal-assisted mechanisms. The reactions they catalyze are essential to many biological processes, from digestion to cellular turnover.

Roles of hydrolases include digestion, where proteases, amylases, and lipases break down dietary macromolecules, and cellular metabolism, where they participate in remodeling and turnover of biomolecules as well as processing of nucleic acids and signaling molecules. They are also involved in more specialized functions within different cellular compartments.

Major examples include proteases (such as pepsin and trypsin), amylases (starch breakdown), lipases (fats), nucleases (DNA/RNA cleavage), glycosidases (glycosidic bond hydrolysis), and phosphatases (removing phosphate groups by hydrolysis).

Industrial and medical applications of hydrolases are extensive. They are used in food and beverage processing, detergents, paper and textile industries, biotechnological research, and diagnostics. The activity of hydrolases is influenced by pH, temperature, and inhibitors, and many enzymes are employed in optimized mixtures tailored to specific substrates.