What is "ornithine transcarbamylase"

n. (context enzyme English) An enzyme that catalyzes the reaction between carbamoyl phosphate and ornithine to form citrulline and phosphate.

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) (also called ornithine carbamoyltransferase) is an enzyme that catalyzes the reaction between carbamoyl phosphate (CP) and ornithine (Orn) to form citrulline (Cit) and phosphate (P). In plants and microbes, OTC is involved in arginine (Arg) biosynthesis, whereas in mammals it is located in the mitochondria and is part of the urea cycle.