What characteristic does glucose oxidase have in terms of specificity?

Glucose oxidase is an enzyme that exhibits high specificity for β-D-glucose. This means that it is designed to catalyze the oxidation of this particular form of glucose efficiently, making it an essential tool in clinical chemistry, especially in glucose measurement for diabetes management.

The specificity is rooted in the enzyme's active site, which is structured to bind specifically to β-D-glucose, facilitating the enzymatic reaction that involves the oxidation of this sugar. Other forms of glucose, such as α-D-glucose, do not fit as efficiently into the active site, resulting in significantly lower reactions.

This characteristic allows glucose oxidase to be used in various diagnostic procedures without interference from other D-hexoses or polysaccharides, which enhances the accuracy of glucose measurement in clinical samples. The low sensitivity to ascorbate mentioned in one of the choices highlights that, while ascorbate can affect some enzymatic reactions, glucose oxidase maintains its activity primarily when β-D-glucose is the substrate, thus supporting its use in blood glucose testing.