cystathioninase · noun — an enzyme that cleaves cystathione to produce cystein and α-ketobutyrate. It carries an Arena rating of 1429, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cystathioninase ranks #3,412 of 17,201 for Funniest Words, #5,821 of 17,205 for The Improbable, #7,866 of 17,194 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #7,968 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words.
Why “cystathioninase” is a great word
An enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of cystathionine to produce cysteine and α-ketobutyrate. From the biochemical compound name cystathionine, itself derived from cysteine and thionine, plus the enzyme suffix -ase. Unlike cystathionine synthase, which constructs this sulfur-containing bridge from homocysteine and serine, or cysteine desulfhydrase, which dismantles the product into the volatile stench of hydrogen sulfide, cystathioninase is the precise, hydrolytic scalpel for a singular, crucial disassembly. It is the quiet work of molecular salvage: the cleaver striking marble, the decisive snip of a bond, the essential severance that frees a sulfhydryl-bearing brick for incorporation into a protein's architecture—the uncelebrated tear that lets life's intricate machinery turn without seizing.
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noun
- An enzyme that cleaves cystathione to produce cystein and α-ketobutyrate
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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