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Glite Dictionary
oxygenase

oxygenase

7.7
An enzyme that adds oxygen to other molecules during chemical reactions
  • noun
  • /ˈɒksɪdʒəneɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : oxigenasa
  • The enzyme oxygenase plays a crucial role in the process of photosynthesis by incorporating oxygen into glucose.
  • cyclo-oxygenase

Examples

  • So what it started with is we have the human five life oxygenase gene.

  • The newer cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors (e.g., celecoxib and rofecoxib) fall into category C and should be avoided.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The first of the traditional NSAIDs (tNSAIDs), indomethacin, was introduced in 1963, and in the 1990s, the more selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors became available.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Research shows that the oxygenase enzyme facilitates the conversion of fatty acids by adding molecular oxygen to the substrate.

  • In biochemical studies, the oxygenase activity is essential for understanding how certain plants adapt to high-altitude environments.

Surface Forms

oxygenase singular
oxygenases plural

Morphology

oxygenase = oxygen (semi-transparent) = oxygen + ase

Formally transparent as 'oxygen' + '-ase' (enzyme), but understanding requires domain knowledge of the enzyme-naming suffix '-ase'.

Etymology

Oxygenase combines oxygen and the ending -ase, which means 'enzyme'. Think of words like lactase or lipase—they are enzymes too, so an oxygenase is an enzyme that adds oxygen to other molecules.