R&D Systems Enzymes

Bioprocessing
Enzymes

Immunotherapy
Enzymes

Metabolic
Enzymes

Ubiquitin-related
Enzymes

Enzyme
Kits

Custom
Enzymes

What is an Enzyme?

Enzymes are catalysts and function by lowering the activation energy of a reaction resulting in an increase in reaction rate. Enzymes are present in all living organisms and are essential to maintaining life. These macromolecules, the vast majority being proteins, catalyze over 5000 different biochemical reactions in cells. For example, metabolic pathways are comprised of a series of enzymes that speed up chemical reactions by several orders of magnitude. These enzyme pathways continually accomplish very complex chemical reactions inside every living cell. The history of enzymes dates to the 18th and early 19th centuries. The concept was first used to explain digestion, conversion of starch to sugars, and fermentation of sugar to alcohol. The term “enzyme” was first coined by German physiologist Wilhelm Kuhne in 1877. Today, in addition to life science research, enzymes are used in the agricultural, food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. In the pharmaceutical industry, enzymes are used in drug manufacturing, and many drugs are enzyme inhibitors that act by binding to an enzyme and blocking its activity by interfering with substrate binding.

About R&D Systems Enzymes

R&D Systems offers over 800 active enzymes that can be used in a variety of biological reactions and in many different applications. Our enzymes have been selected for high activity and QC tested to ensure lot-to-lot consistency and stability. We offer many recombinant enzymes produced in controlled systems to ensure lot-to-lot consistency. With over 30 years of experience offering enzymes to the research community, we continually strive to produce enzymes with the highest purity and performance.