Gamma-enolase, also known as enolase 2 (ENO2) or neuron specific enolase (NSE), is an enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

 that in humans is encoded by the ENO2 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

. Gamma-enolase is a phosphopyruvate hydratase

Phosphopyruvate hydratase

In enzymology, a phosphopyruvate hydratase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reactionHence, this enzyme has one substrate, 2-phospho-D-glycerate, and two products, phosphoenolpyruvate and H2O....

.

Gamma-enolase is one of the three enolase

Enolase

Enolase, also known as phosphopyruvate dehydratase, is a metalloenzyme responsible for the catalysis of the conversion of 2-phosphoglycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate , the ninth and penultimate step of glycolysis. Enolase belongs to the class Lyase. Enolase can also catalyze the reverse reaction,...

 isoenzymes found in mammals. This isoenzyme, a homodimer, is found in mature neuron

Neuron

A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...

s and cells of neuronal origin. A switch from alpha enolase to gamma enolase occurs in neural tissue during development in rat

Rat

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...

s and primate

Primate

A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...

s.

Utility

Detection of NSE with antibodies can be used to identify neuronal cells and cells with neuroendocrine differentiation. NSE is produced by small cell carcinoma

Small cell carcinoma

Small cell carcinoma is a type of highly malignant cancer that most commonly arises within the lung, although it can occasionally arise in other body sites, such as the cervix and prostate....

s which are neuroendocrine in origin. NSE is therefore a useful tumor marker for lung cancer patients.

Further reading