Enzyme Inhibitors

Question 1

How can enzyme activity be prevented ?

Answer 1

Enzyme inhibitors

Question 2

What are enzyme inhibitors

Answer 2

Molecules that bind to enzyme that they inhibit

Inhibition can be competitive or non competitive

Question 3

Competitive inhibitors

Answer 3

Have a SIMILAR shape to substrate molecules.

They compete with the substrate molecules to bind to active site

But NO reaction takes place

Instead they block active so no substrate molecules can fit in.

Question 4

How much the enzyme is inhibited depends upon what ?

Answer 4

Relative concentrations of inhibitor and substrate.

Higher conc. of inhibitor = it will take up lots / nearly all active sites and not many substrate will bind to active sites.

Higher conc. of substrate = substrates chances of getting to active site before inhibitor increases

So increasing concentration of substrate will increase rate of reaction.

Question 5

Non competitive inhibitor

Answer 5

Bind to enzyme away from active site.

Causes active site to change shape so substrate molecules can no longer bind.

They don’t compete with substate molecules to bind to active site because they’re a different shape anyway.

So increasing conc. of substrate will have no different as enzyme activity will still be inhibited.