Skip to content

Hydrolase

DRAFT

This page is a work in progress and is subject to change at any moment.

TODO:

Hydrolases, a diverse superfamily of enzymes, wield the power to break down a multitude of chemical bonds using water as a reactant. These "molecular cleavers" play a central role in various cellular processes, from digestion and nutrient breakdown to protein turnover and cellular signaling. Through their precise hydrolysis reactions, hydrolases contribute significantly to maintaining cellular homeostasis and nutrient cycling within organisms.

Biological relevance

The spectrum of biological functions mediated by hydrolases is extensive:

  • Digestion: In the digestive system, a cascade of hydrolases like peptidases, lipases, and glycosidases break down complex dietary macromolecules (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) into smaller components like amino acids, fatty acids, and monosaccharides for efficient absorption.
  • Intracellular Digestion: Within cells, hydrolases participate in the degradation of organelles, proteins, and other biomolecules through processes like autophagy (cellular self-cleaning) and lysosomal degradation.
  • Metabolism: Hydrolases are crucial for various metabolic pathways, facilitating the breakdown of complex molecules into simpler forms that can be utilized for energy production or building block synthesis.
  • Signal Transduction: Certain hydrolases participate in signal transduction by cleaving specific signaling molecules, thereby activating or terminating downstream cellular responses.
  • Regulation: Hydrolases can regulate various cellular processes by cleaving regulatory molecules like prohormones, activating them into their functional forms.

Disease development

Dysregulation of hydrolase activity can contribute to the pathogenesis of various human diseases:

  • Lysosomal Storage Diseases: Defects in lysosomal enzymes, a specific class of hydrolases, lead to the accumulation of undigested substrates within lysosomes, causing a spectrum of debilitating diseases.
  • Digestive Disorders: Insufficient production of digestive enzymes in the pancreas can lead to malabsorption syndromes, where nutrients are not properly broken down and absorbed from food.
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases: Altered activity of specific hydrolases has been implicated in the abnormal protein aggregation observed in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
  • Autoimmune Diseases: Dysregulation of hydrolases involved in immune cell activation can contribute to autoimmune pathologies.

As a drug target

The diverse functions of hydrolases present both challenges and opportunities for drug development:

  • Substrate Specificity: While some hydrolases exhibit high substrate specificity, others have broader activity, making targeted drug design challenging.
  • Disease Relevance: Targeting specific hydrolases with known roles in disease processes like lysosomal storage diseases offers a potential therapeutic approach.
  • Inhibitor Design: The catalytic mechanisms of hydrolases provide opportunities for the development of inhibitors that can modulate their activity, though achieving high specificity can be difficult.