What does isozyme mean?
An isozyme is a particular form of an enzyme that carries out the same basic biochemical reaction as other enzyme forms but differs in molecular structure, chemical properties, or where it occurs in the body. For example, several versions of an enzyme may participate in the same metabolic pathway while displaying different reaction rates or responses to substances such as drugs. Isozymes are commonly studied through laboratory techniques such as electrophoresis, and variations in their abundance or activity can be useful in genetics, diagnostics, and evolutionary biology. The term is a specialized form of "isoenzyme," which conveys the same meaning and is especially common in medical and biochemical writing. Understanding isozymes helps explain why different tissues, individuals, or disease states can produce different biochemical outcomes even when the same underlying reaction is involved.
nounAn isozyme is one of a group of enzymes that catalyze the same chemical reaction but differ in their molecular structure, physical properties, or cellular distribution.
- One of a set of enzymes that catalyze the same reaction but differ in molecular structure, physical properties, or cellular distribution.
"The researchers used electrophoresis to determine which isozyme was responsible for the unusual metabolic activity."
"Different isoenzymes may be expressed in different tissues within the same organism."
"The test detected a variant isozyme associated with a distinctive pattern of drug metabolism."
The plural is formed by adding "-s" to the singular noun.
"The tissues expressed different isozymes during the experiment."
An isozyme is a biological specialist: it may perform the same job as another enzyme while having a distinctly different molecular fingerprint.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does isozyme come from?
Isozyme combines the prefix "iso," from Greek "isos," meaning equal, with "enzyme," a term ultimately derived from Greek "en" and "zyme," referring to leaven or fermentation. The compound name reflects the original observation that several enzyme forms could perform the same reaction. It developed alongside the study of multiple molecular forms of enzymes, including the variant spelling "isoenzyme."
Related word forms
How isozyme is actually used
This is a technical term used primarily in biology, biochemistry, genetics, and medicine. It is often used interchangeably with "isoenzyme," although "isozyme" is the shorter form.
Easily confused with isozyme
An enzyme is any biological catalyst that speeds up a chemical reaction, whereas an isozyme is one of several enzyme forms that perform the same reaction but differ structurally or chemically.
Isoenzyme is a synonym for isozyme and is sometimes used as the more familiar spelling in biological and medical literature.