What is the Difference Between Anabolic and Catabolic Enzymes

The key difference between anabolic and catabolic enzymes is that anabolic enzymes catalyze the biochemical reactions that synthesize larger complex molecules from smaller units while catabolic enzymes catalyze the biochemical reactions that break down larger complex molecules into smaller units.

Enzymes are catalysts of biochemical reactions occurring in living cells. These reactions are of two types: anabolic and catabolic. Anabolic reactions are a set of metabolic pathways that construct larger molecules from smaller units, whereas catabolic reactions are a set of metabolic pathways that break down larger molecules into smaller units. Anabolic reactions consume energy, while catabolic reactions release energy.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Anabolic Enzymes
3. What are Catabolic Enzymes
4. Similarities – Anabolic and Catabolic Enzymes
5. Anabolic vs Catabolic Enzymes in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Anabolic vs Catabolic Enzymes

What are Anabolic Enzymes?

Anabolic enzymes catalyze the biochemical reactions that involve synthesizing larger complex molecules from smaller units. These anabolic reactions require large energy. They are also known as endergonic processes. Anabolism is normally synonymous with biosynthesis. A well-known example of an anabolic enzyme is DNA polymerase. This particular enzyme rebuilds the DNA molecule. DNA polymerase creates the DNA molecules by assembling nucleotides. Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA. It is essential for the DNA replication process, and they typically work in pairs to create two identical DNA strands from one original DNA molecule (template).

During DNA replication, the DNA polymerase reads the existing DNA strands in order to create two new strands that match the existing ones. In the cell cycle, when a cell divides, DNA polymerase is required to help the DNA replication (duplication) process.  This enables a copy of the original DNA molecule to be passed into each of the daughter cells. DNA replication further facilitates the transmission of genetic information from generation to generation. Though anabolic reactions consume energy, their involvement in cellular activities is extremely important.

What are Catabolic Enzymes?

Catabolic enzymes catalyze the biochemical reactions that involve the breaking down of larger complex molecules into smaller units. These catabolic reactions release large amounts of energy. Catabolic reactions provide the chemical energy necessary for the maintenance and growth of cells.

A well-known example of catabolic enzyme that catalyzes a catabolic reaction is amylase. This enzyme converts complex starch molecules into simple sugars. This reaction is also called as hydrolysis of starch. Normally, amylase is in the saliva of humans and other mammals. Amylase begins the digestion of starch chemically. The pancreas and salivary glands also make amylase (alpha amylase) that hydrolyses dietary starch into disaccharides or trisaccharides. Later, these disaccharides and trisaccharides convert to glucose by other enzymes that supply the required energy.

What are the Similarities Between Anabolic and Catabolic Enzymes?

• Anabolic and catabolic enzymes are two types of enzymes that catalyze anabolic and catabolic biochemical reactions.
• They are proteins.
• They are made up of amino acids.
• Both catalyze the biochemical reactions in the metabolic pathways.
• They participate in important metabolic pathways that are extremely necessary for the maintenance and growth of cells.

What is the Difference Between Anabolic and Catabolic Enzymes?

Anabolic enzymes catalyze anabolic reactions that synthesize larger complex molecules from smaller units while catabolic enzymes catalyze catabolic reactions that break down larger complex molecules into smaller units. So, this is the key difference between anabolic and catabolic enzymes. Furthermore, reactions that are catalyzed by anabolic enzymes require energy, while the reactions that are catalyzed by catabolic enzymes release energy.

The following infographic lists the differences between anabolic and catabolic enzymes in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Anabolic vs Catabolic Enzymes

Anabolic and catabolic enzymes are two types of enzymes that catalyze biochemical reactions in metabolism. Anabolic enzymes catalyze the biochemical reactions that involve synthesizing larger complex molecules from smaller units, while catabolic enzymes catalyze the biochemical reactions that involve breaking down larger complex molecules into smaller units. Thus, this is the summary of the difference between anabolic and catabolic enzymes.

Reference:

1. “Reading: Anabolic and Catabolic Pathways.” Lumen.
2. “Catabolism.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.

Image Courtesy:

1. “0323 DNA Replication” By OpenStax – (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Alpha-amylase” By PDB-101 – Own work (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia