Final answer:
An enzyme that transfers chemical groups among substrates is known as a transferase. They facilitate transfer of functional groups, with kinases and transaminases being examples. Other enzyme classes like hydrolases, lipases, and ligases have different functions.
Step-by-step explanation:
An enzyme that transfers chemical groups among substrates is a transferase. Transferases are a category of enzymes that are involved in moving a functional group from one molecule to another. Specific examples include kinases, which transfer phosphate groups, and transaminases, which transfer amino groups. In contrast, other types of enzymes such as hydrolases, lipases, ligases, and kinases serve different functions. Hydrolases are involved in hydrolysis reactions, lipases specifically hydrolyze lipids, ligases join two compounds requiring energy, and kinases are a subset of transferases that specifically transfer phosphate groups.
An example of a transferase reaction is the conversion of a-ketoglutarate and alanine into glutamate and pyruvate by the enzyme alanine aminotransferase. Transferases play a crucial role in various metabolic pathways. They facilitate reactions by enabling the transfer of specific chemical groups, which is essential for many physiological processes.