isomerase

[ahy-som-uh-reys, -reyz]

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of enzymes that catalyze reactions involving intramolecular rearrangements.

isomerase

/ aɪˈsɒməreɪs /

noun

1. any enzyme that catalyses the conversion of one isomeric form of a compound to another

Word History and Origins

Origin of isomerase¹

First recorded in 1940–45; isomer + -ase

Example Sentences

Further experiments revealed that supplying xylose isomerase to flies whose bacteria had been eliminated was necessary and sufficient to modulate fly locomotion.

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Furthermore, the authors observed that the flies with their natural microbiota and those that had been treated to remove gut bacteria but had received xylose isomerase both walked faster if they received octopamine.

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Xylose isomerase probably functions to increase the diversity of the carbon sources that L. brevis can exploit, as is the case for the many other bacteria that produce this enzyme.

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Perhaps this means that xylose isomerase decreases the availability of a glucose substrate needed for the synthesis of trehalose.

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The authors administered trehalose to flies that lacked gut bacteria and had been provided with xylose isomerase, and report that the trehalose treatment caused the flies’ walking speed to increase.

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