What is "allantoicase"

n. (context enzyme English) A hydrolase enzyme that participates in purine metabolism by facilitating the utilization of purines as secondary nitrogen sources under nitrogen-limiting conditions.

In enzymology, an allantoicase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

allantoate + HO $\rightleftharpoons$ (S)-ureidoglycolate + urea

Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are allantoate and HO, whereas its two products are (S)-ureidoglycolate and urea.

This enzyme belongs to the family of hydrolases, those acting on carbon-nitrogen bonds other than peptide bonds, specifically in linear amidines. The systematic name of this enzyme class is allantoate amidinohydrolase. This enzyme participates in purine metabolism by facilitating the utilization of purines as secondary nitrogen sources under nitrogen-limiting conditions. While purine degradation converges to uric acid in all vertebrates, its further degradation varies from species to species. Uric acid is excreted by birds, reptiles, and some mammals that do not have a functional uricase gene, whereas other mammals produce allantoin. Amphibians and microorganisms produce ammonia and carbon dioxide using the uricolytic pathway. Allantoicase performs the second step in this pathway catalyzing the conversion of allantoate into ureidoglycolate and urea.