KEGG ENZYME: 3.5.1.141

ENZYME: 3.5.1.141

Entry

EC 3.5.1.141                Enzyme

Name

methylenediurea deaminase;
methylenediurease

Class

Hydrolases;
Acting on carbon-nitrogen bonds, other than peptide bonds;
In linear amides

Sysname

methylenediurea amidohydrolase

Reaction(IUBMB)

methylenediurea + 2 H2O = urea + formaldehyde + 2 NH3 + CO2 (overall reaction);
(1a) methylenediurea + H2O = N-(carboxyaminomethyl)urea + NH3 [RN:R05170];
(1b) N-(carboxyaminomethyl)urea = N-(aminomethyl)urea + CO2 (spontaneous) [RN:R05171];
(1c) N-(aminomethyl)urea + H2O = N-(hydroxymethyl)urea + NH3 [RN:R05172];
(1d) N-(hydroxymethyl)urea = urea + formaldehyde (spontaneous)

Reaction(KEGG)

R05170 R05171 R05172

Substrate

methylenediurea [CPD:C06381];
H2O [CPD:C00001];
N-(carboxyaminomethyl)urea [CPD:C06382];
N-(aminomethyl)urea [CPD:C06383];
N-(hydroxymethyl)urea [CPD:C06384]

Product

urea [CPD:C00086];
formaldehyde [CPD:C00067];
NH3 [CPD:C00014];
CO2 [CPD:C00011];
N-(carboxyaminomethyl)urea [CPD:C06382];
N-(aminomethyl)urea [CPD:C06383];
N-(hydroxymethyl)urea [CPD:C06384]

Comment

The enzyme acts on several methyleneurea condensates including trimethylenetetraurea, dimethylenetriurea, and methylenediurea. An initial hydrolysis of the terminal amino group is followed by spontaneous decarboxylation, generating a new terminal amino group. A second hydrolysis generates a terminal hydroxymethyl group that leaves in the form of formaldehyde. The enzyme, characterized from the bacteria Brucella anthropi, Cupriavidus pauculus, and Agrobacterium radiobacter, can also act on allantoate, which is hydrolysed to ureidoglycolate, ammonia and carbon dioxide.

History

EC 3.5.1.141 created 1999 as EC 3.5.3.21, transferred 2025 to EC 3.5.1.141

Reference

Authors

Jahns T, Schepp R, Kaltwasser H.

Title

Purification and characterisation of an enzyme from a strain of Ochrobactrum anthropi that degrades condensation products of urea and formaldehyde (ureaform).

Journal

Can J Microbiol 43:1111-1117 (1997)

Reference

Authors

Jahns T, Kaltwasser H.

Title

Mechanism of microbial degradation of slow-release fertilizers.

Journal

J Polym Environ 8:11-16 (2000)

Reference

Authors

Jahns T, Ewen H, Kaltwasser H.

Title

Biodegradability of urea-aldehyde condensation products.

Journal

J Polym Environ 11:155-159 (2003)

Reference

Authors

Koivunen ME, Morisseau C, Newman JW, Horwath WR, Hammock BD.

Title

Purification and characterization of a methylene urea-hydrolyzing enzyme from Rhizobium radiobacter (Agrobacterium tumefaciens).

Journal

Soil Biol Biochem 35:1433-1442 (2003)

Reference

Authors

Yang Z, Shi Y, Sun Y, Wang L, Guan F.

Title

The study on biodegradation of methylene urea by activated sludge.

Journal

Polym Degrad Stab 128:107-114 (2016)

Other DBs

ExplorEnz - The Enzyme Database:

3.5.1.141

IUBMB Enzyme Nomenclature:

3.5.1.141

ExPASy - ENZYME nomenclature database:

3.5.1.141

BRENDA, the Enzyme Database:

3.5.1.141

CAS:	205830-62-2

LinkDB

DBGET integrated database retrieval system