dehydrogenase
UK[diːˈhaɪdrədʒəneɪz]US[diːˈhaɪdrədʒəneɪs]
n
An enzyme that catalyzes the removal of hydrogen atoms from a particular molecule, especially in biological oxidation-reduction reactions.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
hydrogen
ase
de
remove
hydrogen
hydrogen
ase
enzyme
Etymology
The word "dehydrogenase" is a modern scientific compound built from established international scientific vocabulary. It logically combines the Latin-derived prefix "de-" (indicating removal) with the name of the element "hydrogen," and finally appends the standard enzyme-denoting suffix "-ase." The term is thus a transparent, descriptive label created in the late 19th or early 20th century to name an enzyme whose defined biochemical function is to catalyze the removal (de-) of hydrogen atoms from a substrate molecule. Its formation follows the systematic pattern of enzyme nomenclature, where the suffix "-ase" is attached to the name of the substrate or the type of reaction catalyzed.
Analysis
Structure: de (remove) + hydrogen (hydrogen) + ase (enzyme)
- de: A prefix of Latin origin, meaning "off, away, down, completely," or indicating removal or reversal. In this word, it signifies removal.
- hydrogen: An English noun of French and Greek origin (from Greek hydro- "water" + -genēs "born"), referring to the chemical element. It functions as the base noun specifying the target of the action.
- ase: A suffix of modern scientific Latin (from diastase), used to form the names of enzymes. It indicates the word denotes a type of enzyme.
Examples
Alcohol dehydrogenase is a crucial enzyme in the metabolism of ethanol in the liver.
The activity of the dehydrogenase enzyme was measured spectrophotometrically.
Succinate dehydrogenase plays a key role in both the citric acid cycle and the electron transport chain.