Enzymes Flashcards
What is an enzyme?
A protein molecule that acts as a biological catalyst
what type of protein is an enzyme and how does it help?
globular protein so hydrophillic amino acids on outside and hydrophobic on inside - makes it soluble in water
anabolic reaction
builds up molecuels
catabolic reactions
break down molecules
metabolism
combination of anabolic and catabolic reactions - all different reactions happening in a cell
metabolic pathway
sequence of enzyme controlled reactions
extracellular
enzymes that catalyse reactions outside of cells eg. breaking down nutrient molecules for digestion
intracellular
enzymes that catalyse reactions inside cells eg. synthesising polymers from monomers like making polysaccharides
example of intracellular enzymes and what it breaks down
- catalase - hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen
examples of extracellular enzymes and what they break down
- Amylase - starch into maltose
- Trypsin - protein into peptides
structure of an enzyme’s active site
amino acids interact with each other to maintain a specific tertiary structure - means it has a specific active site to catalyse specific reactions
induced-fit hypothesis
- the tertiary structure of the active site is flexible and changes shape slightly as the substrate enters
- the bonds formed between substrate and enzyme help catalyse the reaction, lowering activation energy
- when the product leaves the enzyme the active site returns to its inactive state
- other substrate molecules cannot form the correct bonds with the active site so the tertiary structure doesn’t change shape and fit
lock and key hypothesis
- a specific substrate forms temporary bonds with amino acids on the surface of the active site forming enzyme-substrate complex and helping lower activation energy
- substrate reacts and products formed in an enzyme-product complex
- product released
what can the quaternary structure of an enzyme mean?
- they can have more than one active site
- eg. catalase has 4 identical polypeptide chains and therefore 4 active sites
activation energy
amount of energy that must be applied for the reaction to proceed
how do enzymes affect activation energy?
they lower it by acting as catalysts and forming enzyme-substrate complexes
characteristics of enzymes
- change only the rate of reaction, not end products
- specific to one reaction
- globular proteins
- activity affected by temp. and pH
Digestion of starch
- starch polymers broken down into maltose by amylase (produced by salivary glands and pancreas)
- Maltose broken down into glucose by maltase (produced by small intestine)
- glucose is then small enough to be absorbed by cells lining the digestive system
Digestion of proteins and where is enzyme produced?
- Trypsin is a protease that catalyses digestion of proteins into smaller peptides
- then broken down further into amino acids by other proteases and absorbed by cells lining the digestive system
- Trypsin - produced in pancreas and released into small intestine
Effect of low temp on enzyme activity
low rate of reaction
- low kinetic energy so move slowly
- few successful collisions between enzyme and substrate