Mutase

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An enzyme that catalyzes the shifting of a functional group within a molecule, usually a phosphate or methyl group, facilitating intramolecular rearrangement and chemical transformation
2. A protein catalyst that promotes the transfer of a specific group from one position to another within the same molecule, enabling the conversion of molecular isomers during metabolic processes
3. A biological catalyst specializing in moving functional groups internally on substrates to alter molecular structure and function without adding or removing atoms, often involved in metabolic pathways

Etymology: Mutase is a deliberately built scientific name, not an ancient or traditional word. It combines "mutate" with the suffix "-ase", the standard ending chemists give to enzymes, so the word names an enzyme that changes or rearranges a molecule's structure without adding or removing atoms. The suffix does most of the work. "-ase" was taken from "diastase", the first enzyme to be isolated, and has since been attached to thousands of enzyme names, so any reader who knows the ending can guess that a "-ase" word is a biological catalyst. The base "mutate" comes from Latin "mutare", meaning "to change", which is why the name signals change. Mutases are therefore a clear example of how modern biochemistry names things by joining an ordinary English stem to a standard suffix, rather than inheriting a word through centuries of use.

Synonyms: enzyme, isomerase, catalyst