Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Catalytic Mechanisms of Enzymes

Catalytic mechanisms of Enzymes describe the molecular strategies by which Enzymes, the protein catalysts of living systems, accelerate biochemical reactions, often by many orders of magnitude, without being consumed. Catalysis occurs at the active site, where substrates bind through specific, complementary interact…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 5 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 93× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2690-4829 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Catalytic mechanisms of Enzymes describe the molecular strategies by which Enzymes, the protein catalysts of living systems, accelerate biochemical reactions, often by many orders of magnitude, without being consumed. Catalysis occurs at the active site, where substrates bind through specific, complementary interactions and are stabilized in a transition state of lower free energy. Enzymes achieve this through several recurring strategies: precise positioning and orientation of reacting groups, acid-base catalysis using protonatable residues, covalent catalysis through transient enzyme-substrate intermediates, metal-ion catalysis, and electrostatic stabilization of charged transition states. Hydrogen-bonding networks within the active site are central to these mechanisms, holding catalytic residues and substrates in productive geometries; their disruption can reduce activity or alter which reactions an enzyme can perform, as seen when a single active-site network governs the range of activities of a heme-dependent peroxidase. Mechanistic study spans many enzyme classes, including redox Enzymes that transfer electrons and participate in free-radical chemistry, and hydrolases such as cellulases and chitinases that cleave polysaccharide bonds in cellulose and chitin. Understanding catalytic mechanism connects an enzyme's structure to its specificity, efficiency, and regulation, and underpins applications ranging from industrial biocatalysis and biomass conversion to the design of inhibitors and engineered Enzymes with tailored or expanded catalytic capabilities.

Research published in this journal

5 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 5 articles above have been cited 93 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Catalytic Mechanisms of Enzymes, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Enzymes (ISSN 2690-4829).

Journal editorial board
Loredana Marcolongo · Italy Melike Caglayan · United States Daniela Vullo · Italy

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.