Finding Detailed Information about an Enzyme

Posted Mon, 04/27/2009 - 07:34

P>It is logically impossible to stuff all information in one place; hence there are different databases for different categories of information. As bioinformaticians, we need to be networked with everything and it is highly useful to have all these database linked. In this case study, I would be extracting information about an enzyme from a different site, BRENDA a comprehensive enzyme information system, using expasy.


  1. Go to www.expasy.org/sprot/

  2. Write the accession no for any enzyme you want. For example: P29957 (amylase).

  3. Expasy would now show the attributes of enzyme such as name and origin, protein properties, general annotation, ontology, sequences, references, entry information and relevant document. According to this page the recommended name is a amylase.

  4. In order to find out more information about an enzyme

    • Click on “name and origin”

    • Select the E.C number below the recommended name. EC no.s are like accession no. assigned but are assigned to an enzyme.


    • After clicking the EC no. a “NiceZyme view of Enzyme : EC 3.2.1.1” page would open.


      This page mainly has a summarized data about the enzyme and references of that enzyme with other databases. Database include PROSITE, PUMA2, BRENDA, KEGG, IUBMB , UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot etc.
    • Click on BRENDA which has the same EC no. 3.2.1.1.
    • This will take you directly to BRENDA webpage where a detailed description about this enzyme would be available.



      The information includes synonyms , pathway, enzymatic interactions, functional parameters, structure, molecular properties, bibliography\links\diseases and related organisms. The current page is only about a specific specie.

  • If you wish to see the presence of a amylase in all the organism click on “all the organisms” in the drop down list on the top of the page and click “submit” or choose any other organism.

  • Now there will be a page with very detailed information about a amylase.





    Contributed By: Tariq Khaleeq