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Multiple Choice

Glycosidases hydrolyze which type of bonds?

Glycosidases specifically target glycosidic bonds—the links that connect sugar units in carbohydrates to form disaccharides and polysaccharides. These enzymes catalyze hydrolysis, using water to break the glycosidic bond and yield individual monosaccharides. For example, sucrase breaks the glycosidic bond in sucrose to produce glucose and fructose, while lactase cleaves the beta-1,4 glycosidic bond in lactose to give glucose and galactose. Other bond types in biology are handled by different enzymes: peptide bonds are cut by proteases, phosphodiester bonds by nucleases, and ester bonds in lipids by lipases. So the correct focus is glycosidic bonds.

Glycosidases specifically target glycosidic bonds—the links that connect sugar units in carbohydrates to form disaccharides and polysaccharides. These enzymes catalyze hydrolysis, using water to break the glycosidic bond and yield individual monosaccharides. For example, sucrase breaks the glycosidic bond in sucrose to produce glucose and fructose, while lactase cleaves the beta-1,4 glycosidic bond in lactose to give glucose and galactose. Other bond types in biology are handled by different enzymes: peptide bonds are cut by proteases, phosphodiester bonds by nucleases, and ester bonds in lipids by lipases. So the correct focus is glycosidic bonds.