Aldose 1-epimerase

In enzymology, an aldose 1-epimerase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction


 * alpha-D-glucose $$\rightleftharpoons$$ beta-D-glucose

Hence, this enzyme has one substrate, alpha-D-glucose, and one product, beta-D-glucose.

This enzyme belongs to the family of isomerases, specifically those racemases and epimerases acting on carbohydrates and derivatives. The systematic name of this enzyme class is aldose 1-epimerase. Other names in common use include mutarotase, and aldose mutarotase. This enzyme participates in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis.

Structural studies
As of late 2007, 23 structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and.