diphosphohydrolase
|di-phos-pho-hy-dro-lase|
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/ˌdaɪfɒsfoʊˈhaɪdroʊleɪs/
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/ˌdaɪfɒsfəʊˈhaɪdrəleɪs/
enzyme that hydrolyzes diphosphate bonds
Etymology
'diphosphohydrolase' is formed from the combining forms 'di-' + 'phospho-' + 'hydrolase', where 'di-' (from Greek 'dis') meant 'two', 'phospho-' (from Greek 'phōsphōr- / phōsphoros') related to 'phosphate', and 'hydrolase' combines 'hydro-' (Greek 'hydōr', 'water') with the enzyme-forming suffix '-lase' (from 'lysis', 'a loosening' or 'splitting').
'diphosphohydrolase' arose in modern biochemical nomenclature in the 20th century by compounding 'phospho-' (referring to phosphate groups) with 'hydrolase' (enzymes that catalyze hydrolysis); over time such compounds became standard to name enzymes by the bond they act on.
Originally the component parts conveyed the literal image 'two-phosphate water-splitter'; over time the assembled term came to be used specifically for enzymes that hydrolyze diphosphate (or di-phosphorylated) bonds in biochemical contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an enzyme (a type of hydrolase) that catalyzes the hydrolysis of diphosphate bonds in molecules, such as removing a phosphate group from diphosphorylated substrates (e.g., nucleoside diphosphates or diphosphorylated intermediates).
Researchers measured diphosphohydrolase activity in the cell extract to study nucleotide turnover.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/07 21:27