Trimethylamine-oxide aldolase

In enzymology, a trimethylamine-oxide aldolase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction


 * trimethylamine N-oxide $$\rightleftharpoons$$ dimethylamine + formaldehyde

Hence, this enzyme has one substrate, trimethylamine N-oxide, and two products, dimethylamine and formaldehyde.

This enzyme belongs to the family of lyases, specifically the aldehyde-lyases, which cleave carbon-carbon bonds. The systematic name of this enzyme class is trimethylamine-N-oxide formaldehyde-lyase (dimethylamine-forming). Other names in common use include trimethylamine N-oxide formaldehyde-lyase, trimethylamine N-oxide aldolase, trimethylamine N-oxide demethylase, and trimethylamine-N-oxide formaldehyde-lyase. This enzyme participates in methane metabolism.