WANI Dictionary

Lyase

A lyase is an enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of chemical bonds by mechanisms other than hydrolysis or oxidation, often forming a new double bond or a new ring structure in the process.

Definitions in the literature

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• A lyase is an enzyme that catalyzes the breaking (an "elimination" reaction) of various chemical bonds by means other than hydrolysis (a "substitution" reaction) and oxidation, often forming a new double bond or a new ring structure. The reverse reaction is also possible (called a "Michael addition”) [1].