Talk:Enzyme

Link to protein page

I think interesting link the first use of the word "protein" in this page with the proteins wikipedia page.

The first instance of the word "protein" (in the second paragraph) is already linked to the article protein. -- Ed (Edgar181) 18:18, 12 August 2018 (UTC)

Biology

There is no definition of Apoenzyme Ali Mustafa Karim (talk) 04:05, 3 June 2019 (UTC)

Why there is no definition of Apoenzyme available? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ali Mustafa Karim (talk • contribs) 04:07, 3 June 2019 (UTC)

I just used the "search" function in my web-browser and found that term in the § Cofactors section of the article. There it says "Enzymes that require a cofactor but do not have one bound are called apoenzymes or apoproteins." DMacks (talk) 05:33, 3 June 2019 (UTC)

New section - copyright issue?

Factors affecting enzyme activity was added as a new section, comprised of a table and one reference. Does this improve the article, or is the information already covered elsewhere without a table? Is it possible that the table was copied verbatim from the reference? David notMD (talk) 09:15, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

• I don't think copyvio is an issue here − you can't copyright facts. But I don't think the table adds much value. The Nature of the Medium column misleading as no media are listed as such and it just gives a "description of" the pH. I don't know what Sr.No. means. It is also inconsistent with regards to the sources of the enzymes and I don't know what is meant by "Amylase(malt)". The effect of pH is already mentioned ("An enzyme's activity decreases markedly outside its optimal temperature and pH). I think we should delete the table. Graham Beards (talk) 09:36, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

I disagree on the copyright question, because selecting and naming columns is individualistic, as is deciding on how many rows to include. The editor in question is relatively new to Wikipedia (September) and has been editing many articles by adding a table, with a citation to a book. I left a query on the editor's Talk page, asking if copying. David notMD (talk) 10:02, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

I'm no expert, but I also wouldn't have thought the table constitutes a copyright violation. US copyright law is based on creativity, not effort or individuality, and compiling enzyme optimal pH values in a simple table would not be considered a creative act. So the table wouldn't be copyrightable. This may be worth raising at Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 12:44, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

There are parts of the table that are not simple facts, for example, a column "Sr.No." and the last column, describing in words what the previous column conveys as a pH number. This might be considered copyright composition. Separately, my opinion is that the table adds little to this Featured Article and could be deleted on that account. David notMD (talk) 13:17, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

The table is available here, on page 358. Whether or not the table contains enough creative material to enjoy copyright protection is kinda borderline. It's not a comprehensive table, as there are many more enzymes than this - so selecting which enzymes to include does require some creative thought. Regarding its suitability for a Featured Article: In the accompanying prose in the pdf, the point is covered that enzymes have an optimal pH at which they operate. This point is already covered in our article; but the optimal pH differs from one enzyme to another, a point that does not appear to be present in our article but is not really conveyed well by using a table. It would be better presented via prose, perhaps with a few examples. — Diannaa 🍁 (talk) 13:52, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

Kudos to Dianna for finding the book. First, I agree with Graham Beards and Dianna that perhaps the same information can be conveyed in non-table form, without the reference used by editor in question. Second, I still consider copying the table a copyright violation, as it has the same number of enzymes in the same order, which is neither alphabetic or by optimal pH. Facts may be free, but composition, not. David notMD (talk) 16:38, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

It doesn't seem right to copy it. Also, a more complete table in its own article may be more appropriate (using multiple sources for other proteins). I agree that the concept would be better presented via prose with a few examples. BernardoSulzbach (talk) 21:03, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

I think having the sections itself if probably reasonable. Possibly the Q10 optimal temperature information could be moved into it. As to copyright, my understanding is that the table layout would be copyright, changing the order would probably fix it and changing which examples were used would definitely fix it. However, it's probably no surprise that I'd favour a diagram over a table! At the very least a simple pH scale with a few enzymes indicated along it (or using the timeline template like this). If anyone can find a large dataset of the different enzyme optimal pHs, we could make a histogram of optimal pH distribution equivalent to this one for the distribution of activities. T.Shafee(Evo&Evo)^talk 23:51, 25 September 2019 (UTC)

There are enzyme databases, with entries such as this one for ATP, but going through a selection of enzymes and compiling the data can take some time. Maybe the best option is to explain the importance of pH and cite a few examples. BernardoSulzbach (talk) 15:08, 26 September 2019 (UTC)

I think we've reached consensus on replacing the table with information in a different form, if not on whether this represented copyright violation. Would someone who has enzyme expertise please take action. David notMD (talk) 16:00, 26 September 2019 (UTC)

In that case, I'll have a go at making a diagram from data at . I'm thinking of a cross between this, this and this. Digestive enzymes range from acidic to neutral, and the liver has quite a few high-pH enzymes (e.g. Alcohol_dehydrogenase and Alkaline_phosphatase). T.Shafee(Evo&Evo)^talk 05:31, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

Enzymes in Evolution?

This is a great article, and it describes the aspects and functions of enzymes quite well, but perhaps would it also be useful to add a section outlining how enzymes came to be and evolved through evolution? I think this might make an understanding of their place in our biosystem much easier. Cheers. TP ✎ ✓ 08:52, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

@ThePromenader: I agree with that! It's a huge topic so at least some summary would be good, even it it's short and links out to more details in active site or a specialised page. Perhaps a couple of sentences on the parallel origins of enzymes from binding proteins, and the evolution of new catalysis, promiscuity and specificity. T.Shafee(Evo&Evo)^talk 09:55, 3 October 2019 (UTC)