aldolase

enzyme

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June 18, 2026

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Aldolase is a crystalline enzyme found widely in living organisms. It catalyzes the reversible splitting of a phosphorylated fructose molecule into two smaller triose sugar molecules. This reaction is a key step in glycolysis, the process by which glucose is broken down to release energy. The enzyme facilitates the cleavage of fructose 1,6-diphosphate into dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, both of which are types of triose phosphates. The reverse of this reaction, the formation of a six-carbon compound from two three-carbon compounds, is an aldol condensation, which is why the enzyme is named aldolase.12

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metabolism
The aldolase reaction
…phosphate)—the enzyme is commonly called aldolase. The two three-carbon fragments produced in step [4], dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, are also called triose phosphates. They are readily converted to each other by a process [5] analogous to that in step [2]. The enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion [5] is triose…
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…phosphate)—the enzyme is commonly called aldolase. The two three-carbon fragments produced in step [4], dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, are also called triose phosphates. They are readily converted to each other by a process [5] analogous to that in step [2]. The enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion [5] is triose…
Read More