Ligases (EC 6)

Enzymes can be classified systematically according to the difference between reaction and substrate specificity, and the mechanism of action. Ligases (EC 6.x.x.x) are a group of enzymes that catalyze the reaction of joining two large molecules (such as proteins or peptides) by establishing a new chemical bond, for instance C-O, C-N, C-S bonds. Ligases are further divided into six subclasses: 1) EC 6.1 ligases establishing carbon-oxygen bonds; 2) EC 6.2 ligases establishing carbon-sulfur bonds; 3) EC 6.3 ligases establishing carbon-nitrogen bonds; 4) EC 6.4 ligases establishing carbon-carbon bonds; 5) EC 6.5 ligases establishing phosphoric-ester bonds; and 6) EC 6.6 ligases establishing nitrogen-metal bonds. DNA ligase is a common ligase which often used in molecular biology laboratories to join DNA fragments.