Which enzyme class cleaves glycosidic bonds in carbohydrates?

Which enzyme class cleaves glycosidic bonds in carbohydrates?

• A. Glycosidases
• B. Proteases
• C. Lipases
• D. Nucleases

Answer: (A)

Glycosidases are enzymes that hydrolyze glycosidic bonds linking sugar units in carbohydrates. They act by adding water across the bond, breaking polysaccharides or disaccharides into smaller sugars. This enzyme class includes many examples such as amylases that act on starch, sucrase on sucrose, and lactase on lactose. In contrast, proteases cleave peptide bonds in proteins, lipases break ester bonds in lipids, and nucleases cut phosphodiester bonds in nucleic acids. Therefore, the enzyme class that cleaves glycosidic bonds in carbohydrates is glycosidases.

Glycosidases are enzymes that hydrolyze glycosidic bonds linking sugar units in carbohydrates. They act by adding water across the bond, breaking polysaccharides or disaccharides into smaller sugars. This enzyme class includes many examples such as amylases that act on starch, sucrase on sucrose, and lactase on lactose. In contrast, proteases cleave peptide bonds in proteins, lipases break ester bonds in lipids, and nucleases cut phosphodiester bonds in nucleic acids. Therefore, the enzyme class that cleaves glycosidic bonds in carbohydrates is glycosidases.