IUPAC-IUB nomenclature

IUPAC IUB nomenclature recommendations (1983), reproduced in full in Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins, 1985, Vol. 16, The Royal Society of Chemistry, p. 387 and in Eur.J.Biochem., 1984,138, 9, encourage the retention of trivial names for the common a-amino acids, but systematic names are relatively straightforward thus, L-alanine is 2S-aminopropanoic add and L-histidine is 2S-amino-3-(imidazol-4-yl)-propanoic add (the name for the predominant tautomer). 

Not all problems were solved, however, and different usages were encountered on the two sides of the Atlantic. A joint British-American committee was therefore set up, and in 1952 it published Rules for Carbohydrate Nomenclature [18]. This work was continued, and a revised version was endorsed in 1963 by the American Chemical Society and by the Chemical Society in Britain and published [19]. The publication of this report led the IUPAC Commission on Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry to consider the preparation of a set of IUPAC Rules for Carbohydrate Nomenclature. This was done jointly with the IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature, and resulted in the Tentative Rules for Carbohydrate Nomenclature, Part I, 1969 , published in 1971/72 in several journals [1]. It is a revision of this 1971 document that is presented here. In the present document, recommendations are designated 2-Carb-n, to distinguish them from the Carb-n recommendations in the previous publication. 

IUPAC-IUB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN), Conformational nomenclature for five- and six-membered ring forms of monosaccharides and their derivatives (Recommendations 1980), Eur.J.Biochem. Ill, 295-298 (1980) Arch. Biochem. Biophys.,207,469-472(1981) PureAppl. Chem.,S3,1901-1905(1981) ref.2,pp. 158-161. 

IUPAC-IUB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN), Nomenclature of branched-chain monosaccharides (Recommendations 1980), Eur. J. Biochem., 119, 5-8... 

IUPAC-IUB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN), Nomenclature of glycolipids, in preparation. 

IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature, Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 145 (1971) 405 -421. 

IUPAC Commission on the Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry (CNOC) and IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (CBN) (1975). Nomenclature of carotenoids (Rules approved 1974). Pure Appl. Chem. 41 107-131. 

According to the IUPAC-IUB Enzyme Nomenclature,11 pectinesterase belongs to the carboxyl ester hydrolases (EC 3.1.1.11) and has the systematic name pectin pectyl-hydrolase. The literature also contains the expressions pectin methylesterase, pectin demethoxylase, and pectin methoxylase for the same enzyme. The old name pectase,... 

All enzymes already mentioned, except oligo-D-galactosiduronate hydrolase, are included in the Enzyme Nomenclature of the IUPAC-IUB Enzyme Commission,11 and their code numbers and suitably modified, systematic names are used herein. 

Fig. 6.1. IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature rules defining residues and peptide units in peptides. In the example shown, residue No. 2 contains the backbone atoms N2, C2, and C2. Peptide unit No. 2 contains the backbone atoms C2, C2, and Nf. Rj, R2, and R3 are the side chains of the amino acid residues (www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iupac/AminoAcid/).

It is extremely difficult to maintain uniform nomenclature or abbreviations for these molecules due to the diverse nature of the saccharide moiety and the continual discovery of new glycosphingolipids. A semi-systematic nomenclature for glycosphingolipids has been recommended by the IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature,7 and has been reviewed in some detail.8-10 Readers are urged to consult these articles in order to become familiar with the no-... 

IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry and IUPAC-IUB Biochemical Nomenclature, Definitive Rules for Nomenclature of Steroids, J. PureAppl. Chem. 31, 283(1972). 

This abbreviation is approved by the IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature and is typical of the kind of alphabet soup that is making biochemistry almost completely unintelligible without a glossary of approved (and unapproved) abbreviations at hand at all times. We shall make minimum use of such designations. You will remember we already use Z for something else (Section 19-7). 

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