Enzymes Flashcards
What are the characteristics of enzymes?
- Specific
- Proteins with large molecular weights
- Labile
- Catalytic efficiency
- Does not alter the equilibrium
- Their activity can be regulated
- They have an active site
What are the two types of ‘substrate specificity’?
- Abosolute specificity
- Broad specificity
What are the two types of specificity related to enzymes?
- Substrate specificty
- Reaction specificity
- Stereospecificity
What are the proteins with large molecular weights with secondary and tertiary structure?
- Simple proteins
- Conjugated proteins
- Protein + co - factor component
What is a Holo enzyme?
An Apo-enzyme + non-protein
What are the two classification sof enzymes based on thenumber of polypeptide chains?
- Monomeric - One chain
- Multimeric - more thna one chain
What is a Multienzyme complex?
- Many reaction catalyzing sites in same macro-molecule at different sites
- Becomes inactive when units each with enzyme activity is fractionated.
Examples of multienzyme complexes?
Eg: Fatty acid synthetase , Pyruvate dehydrogenase
What does it mean to say that an enzyme is “Labile”?
Unstable – enzymes are proteins & are subjected to denaturation by all agents causing denaturation of proteins.
What is the catalytic efficiency of enzymes?
Accelerate specific chemical reactions by decreasing activation energy
How can the activity fo an enzyme be regulated?
- Activated
- Inhibited
Describe the role of enzymes in compartmentalization.
Isolate the substrate and products from other competing reactions providing a favourable environment for the reactions or pathways.
Describe the active site of an enzyme
Is made up of several amino acids that come together as a result of specific folding of IIry and III ry structure of enzymes
- globular proteins
- hydrophilic side chains on outer parts
- has specific 3D structure, shape & specific charges.
- forms a cleft or pocket on the enzyme surface
that accepts & binds substrate.
Importance of active site?
• within the active site the substrates are brought close to one another in optimal alignment with cofactors & prosthetic gps and amino acid side chains responsible for chemical transformation in to products.
•Active site shield substrates from water and generate an environment (polar, acid, hydrophobic or alkaline) that can differ from the surrounding cytoplasm.
What are the ‘Mechanisms that facilitate Catalysis’ ?
- Proximity - bond forming distance (conc)
- Acid –base catalysis – prosthetic groups and side chains of amino acids of enz help catalysis by acting as acids and bases etc
- Catalysis by strain - ‘Enz’ that break bonds bind substrates in an unfavourable conformation that will help break the bond
- Covalent catalysis – formation of a covalent bond between ‘Enz’ and a substrate (s). Introduces a new reaction path whose activation energy is lower hence the re becomes faster. Enz modification is transient (temporary)
How do enzymes lower the EA?
- Acting as a template for susbtrate orientation
- Stressing the susbtrates and stabilizing the transition state
- Providing a favorable microenvironment
- Partticipating in the catalytic reaction.
Enzymes are classed in to 6 groups depending on reactions catalysed?
- Oxidoreductase
- Transferases
- Hydrolases
- Lyases
- Isomerases
- Ligases