enzyme cascade
/ˈɛn.zaɪm ˈkæs.keɪd/ · en·zyme cas·cade
noun
- A series of biochemical reactions in which each enzyme activates or produces the next enzyme, thereby amplifying a cellular signal or metabolic effect. The blood‑clotting process relies on an enzyme cascade that rapidly converts fibrinogen to fibrin.
Synonyms
enzyme chainreaction cascadebiochemical cascadesignal transduction cascademetabolic pathwaycascade reactionenzymatic cascadesequential enzymatic reaction
Antonyms
Did you know? The concept of an enzyme cascade was pivotal in elucidating the blood‑clotting cascade, a discovery that earned the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the sequence of clotting factors.