Aging-related enzymes

thumb|Telomerase catalytic subunit TERT of [[Tribolium castaneum (Red flour beetle), bound to putative RNA template and telomeric DNA (PDB 3KYL)]] thumb|A conceptual diagram showing the protein component of telomerase (TERT) in grey and the RNA component (TR) in yellow

class of enzymes

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases

Sirtuins are a family of signaling proteins involved in metabolic regulation. They are ancient in animal evolution and appear to possess a highly conserved structure throughout all kingdoms of life. Chemically, sirtuins are a class of proteins that possess either mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase or deacylase activity, including deacetylase, desuccinylase, demalonylase, demyristoylase and depalmitoylase activity. The name Sir2 comes from the yeast gene 'silent mating-type information regulation 2', the gene responsible for cellular regulation in yeast.

β-Galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23, beta-gal or β-gal; systematic name β-D-galactoside galactohydrolase) is a glycoside hydrolase enzyme that catalyzes hydrolysis of terminal non-reducing β-D-galactose residues in β-D-galactosides. (This enzyme digests many β-Galactosides, not just lactose. It is sometimes loosely referred to as lactase but that name is generally reserved for mammalian digestive enzymes that break down lactose specifically.)

mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase 1 (PARP-1) also known as NAD+ ADP-ribosyltransferase 1 or poly[ADP-ribose] synthase 1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PARP1 gene. It is the most abundant of the PARP family of enzymes, accounting for 90% of the NAD+ used by the family. PARP1 is mostly present in cell nucleus, but cytosolic fraction of this protein was also reported.

class of enzymes

Tankyrase, also known as tankyrase 1, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the TNKS gene. It inhibits the binding of TERF1 to telomeric DNA. Tankyrase attracts substantial interest in cancer research through its interaction with AXIN1 and AXIN2, which are negative regulators of pro-oncogenic β-catenin signaling. Importantly, activity in the β-catenin destruction complex can be increased by tankyrase inhibitors and thus such inhibitors are a potential therapeutic option to reduce the growth of β-catenin-dependent cancers.

Superoxide dismutase 2, mitochondrial (SOD2), also known as manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the SOD2 gene on chromosome 6. A related pseudogene has been identified on chromosome 1. Alternative splicing of this gene results in multiple transcript variants. This gene is a member of the iron/manganese superoxide dismutase family. It encodes a mitochondrial protein that forms a homotetramer and binds one manganese ion per subunit. This protein binds to the superoxide byproducts of oxidative phosphorylation and converts them to hydrogen p