isomerase

American  

[ahy-som-uh-reys, -reyz] / aɪˈsɒm əˌreɪs, -ˌreɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

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

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isomerase British  

/ aɪˈsɒməreɪs /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of isomerase

First recorded in 1940–45; isomer + -ase

Example Sentences

Another enzyme produced by the bacteria, known as arabinose isomerase, then converts the galactose into tagatose.

From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026

An isomerase is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of a molecule into one of its isomers.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

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.

From Nature • Oct. 23, 2018

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.

From Nature • Oct. 23, 2018

The triosephosphate isomerase enzyme then converts dihydroxyacetone phosphate into a second glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate molecule.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013