1. Oxidoreductases: These enzymes catalyze oxidation-reduction reactions, which involve the transfer of electrons between molecules. Examples include dehydrogenases, which remove hydrogen atoms, and oxidases, which add oxygen atoms.
2. Transferases: These enzymes catalyze the transfer of functional groups between molecules. Examples include kinases, which transfer phosphate groups, and glycosyltransferases, which transfer sugar groups.
3. Hydrolases: These enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of bonds by adding water molecules. Examples include proteases, which break down proteins, and lipases, which break down fats.
4. Lyases: These enzymes catalyze the cleavage of various bonds by other means than hydrolysis, such as by elimination reactions or addition reactions. Examples include decarboxylases, which remove carboxyl groups, and aldolases, which cleave carbon-carbon bonds.
5. Isomerases: These enzymes catalyze the interconversion of isomers, which are molecules with the same molecular formula but different structural arrangements. Examples include racemases, which interconvert enantiomers, and epimerases, which interconvert epimers.
6. Ligases: These enzymes catalyze the joining of two molecules together with the formation of a new covalent bond. Examples include DNA ligases, which join DNA fragments together, and peptide ligases, which join amino acids together to form proteins.
