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This review is a summary of our current knowledge of the structure, function and mechanism of action of the three zinc-containing alcohol dehydrogenases, YADH-1, YADH-2 and YADH-3, in baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The opening section deals with the substrate specificity of the enzymes, covering the steady-state kinetic data for its most known substrates. In the following sections, the kinetic mechanism for this enzyme is reported, along with the values of all rate constants in the mechanism. The complete primary structures of the three isoenzymes of YADH are given, and the model of the 3D structure of the active site is presented. All known artificial mutations in the primary structure of the YADH are covered in full and described in detail. Further, the chemical mechanism of action for YADH is presented along with the complement of steady-state and ligand-binding data supporting this mechanism. Finally, the bio-organic chemistry of the hydride-transfer reactions catalyzed by the enzyme is covered: this chemistry explains the narrow substrate specificity and the enantioselectivity of the yeast enzyme. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]