A comprehensive, up-to-date discussion of what enzymes are, how they work, and how they catalyse enzymatic reactions

Enzymes are giant macromolecules which catalyse all the biochemical reactions in living cells. Their three-dimensional structures are highly complex, yet they are formed by spontaneous folding of a linear polypeptide chain. Their catalytic properties are even more impressive than synthetic catalysts which operate under more extreme conditions. Enzyme-catalysed reactions proceed very high enantioselectivity and enantiospecificity at rates which approach “catalytic perfection.” Living cells carry out a huge repertoire of enzyme-catalysed chemical reactions, some of which have little or no precedent in organic chemistry.

The popular textbook Introduction to Enzyme and Coenzyme Chemistry has been thoroughly updated with information on the most recent advances in our understanding of enzyme action. This newly revised fourth edition includes:

• New case studies
• A new section on oxygen activation by enzymes
• Expanded sections on membrane proteins, enzyme purification, enzymatic phosphoryl transfer reactions, fatty acid biosynthesis and polyketide biosynthesis
• Additional examples from recent literature used to illustrate key points
• Additional problems and solutions outlined and updated Further Reading sections at the end of each chapter
• Over 40 full-colour figures of the active sites of enzymes that illustrate the interplay between enzyme structure and function

Introduction to Enzyme and Coenzyme Chemistry provides a concise but comprehensive account from the perspective of organic chemistry that explains what enzymes are, how they work, and how they catalyse many of the major classes of enzymatic reactions. It will prove invaluable to undergraduate and postgraduate students of organic, bio-organic and medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry and biotechnology.

Timothy D. H. Bugg is Professor of Biological Chemistry at the University of Warwick. His academic career started at the University of Southampton in 1991, where his group studied enzymes involved in the bacterial degradation of aromatic compounds and enzymes involved in bacterial peptidoglycan assembly. Since moving to Warwick in 1999, his group has more recently studied enzymes involved in bacterial degradation of lignin, and the application of biocatalysis to convert lignin into renewable aromatic chemicals.