Enzymology's history began with Anselme Payen's isolation of diastase in 1833, leading to the study of enzymes as biological catalysts. Louis Pasteur's vitalist theory on fermentation and Eduard Buchner's cell-free fermentation discovery further shaped the field. The term 'enzyme' was introduced by Wilhelm Kühne, and the protein nature of enzymes was confirmed by crystallization studies. Structural biology and enzyme classification have since provided deeper understanding of enzyme diversity and evolution.
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In 1833, Anselme Payen isolated the first enzyme, diastase, from malt extracts, revealing the existence of biological catalysts and paving the way for the study of enzyme structure and function
Through his studies on fermentation, Louis Pasteur proposed the vitalist theory that enzymatic reactions were a manifestation of life, but this was later disproven
In 1877, Wilhelm Kühne coined the term "enzyme" to describe biocatalysts capable of facilitating chemical reactions outside of living cells, distinguishing them from traditional "ferments."
In 1897, Eduard Buchner's experiments with cell-free yeast extracts challenged the vitalist theory and identified the enzyme zymase as the catalyst for sugar fermentation
Buchner's discovery of enzymes functioning outside of living cells, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1907, supported the understanding that enzymes are chemical, not biological, entities
Enzymes are named and classified based on the reactions they catalyze, with the first high-resolution enzyme structure being determined in 1965, leading to the development of structural biology
The ability to crystallize enzymes allowed for the first high-resolution enzyme structure to be determined in 1965, providing a molecular view of enzyme action
Enzymes are systematically classified and named based on their specific biochemical activities, using a nomenclature system developed by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Enzymes exhibit remarkable diversity and are classified into families based on structural or evolutionary relationships, providing insights into enzyme evolution and the distribution of enzymatic functions across different organisms
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Emergence of Enzymology as a scientific field
19th century, built on digestion and starch transformation studies.
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Significance of diastase discovery
Revealed biological catalysts, led to enzyme structure and function exploration.
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The scientist ______ suggested that ______ was a result of 'ferments' in yeast, which he believed were tied to the yeast's ______.
Louis Pasteur
fermentation
life force
