isomerase

American  

[ahy-som-uh-reys, -reyz] / aɪˈsɒm əˌreɪs, -ˌreɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of enzymes that catalyze reactions involving intramolecular rearrangements.

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isomerase British  

/ aɪˈsɒməreɪs /

noun

1. any enzyme that catalyses the conversion of one isomeric form of a compound to another

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Etymology

Origin of isomerase

First recorded in 1940–45; isomer + -ase

Example Sentences

Another enzyme produced by the bacteria, known as arabinose isomerase, then converts the galactose into tagatose.

From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026

An isomerase is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of a molecule into one of its isomers.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Further experiments revealed that supplying xylose isomerase to flies whose bacteria had been eliminated was necessary and sufficient to modulate fly locomotion.

From Nature • Oct. 23, 2018

The authors administered trehalose to flies that lacked gut bacteria and had been provided with xylose isomerase, and report that the trehalose treatment caused the flies’ walking speed to increase.

From Nature • Oct. 23, 2018

In the next step of the first phase of glycolysis, the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate isomerase converts glucose-6-phosphate into fructose-6-phosphate.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013