What does cysteine desulfurase catalyze?

Answer 1

From Wikipedia:

In enzymology, a cysteine desulfurase (EC2.8.1.7) is an enzyme thatcatalyzesthe chemical reaction

L-cysteine + [enzyme]-cysteine L-alanine + [enzyme]-S-sulfanylcysteine

Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are L-cysteine and [[[enzyme]-cysteine]], whereas its two products are L-alanine and [[[enzyme]-S-sulfanylcysteine]].

This enzyme belongs to the family of transferases, specifically the sulfurtransferases, which transfer sulfur-containing groups. The systematic name of this enzyme class is L-cysteine:[enzyme cysteine] sulfurtransferase. Other names in common use include IscS, NIFS, NifS,SufS, and cysteine desulfurylase. This enzyme participates in thiamine metabolism.

Answer 2

Cysteine desulfurase catalyzes the removal of sulfur from cysteine to produce alanine and sulfur. This reaction is a key step in the biosynthesis of iron-sulfur clusters, which are important for various biological processes such as electron transfer and enzyme catalysis.