enzymes Flashcards
what are enzymes important for
chemical reactions which are needed for necessary life processes
why can’t life processes be done without enzymes
- they happen very fast
- happen under high temperatures and pressures
- so would damage cell components
what are enzymes
biological catalysts and globular proteins
what do enzymes do
interact with substrate molecules causing them to react at much faster rates
what are anabolic reactions
- reactions needed for growth
give an example of anabolic reactions
- cellulose forms walls of plant cells
- long protein molecules form contractile filaments of muscles in animals
how are anabolic reactions catalyzed
by enzymes
catabolic reactions
breaking down molecules - energy is released
what is energy needed for
growth
how are catabolic reactions catalyzed
enzymes
give an example of a catabolic reaction
digestion
what is metabolism
- sun of all the different reactions and reaction pathways happening in a cell or an organism
how is metabolism controlled
enzymes
what affects enzyme action
temperature
pH
pressure
what is the Vmax
enzyme can only increase the rates of reaction up to a certain point = Vmax
for a reaction to occur what must happen
- they need to collide in the right orientation
how do we increase rate of reaction and what affect does this have
- at high temperatures and pressure
- speed of molecules increase
- numbers of successful collisions increase
=ror increased
what is enzyme specificity
- each enzyme catalyses one biochemical reaction of which there are thousands in any given cell
what is activation energy
the energy that needs to be supplied for most reactions to start
how do enzymes reduce activation energy
enzymes help the molecules collide successfully
what is the active site
an area within the tertiary structure of the enzyme that has a shape which is complementary to the shape of a specific substrate molecule
lock and key theory
the same way that only the right key will fit into a lock only a specific substrate will fit into the active site of the enzyme
how does an enzyme substrate complex form
when a substrate is bound to the enzymes active site
when a substrate reacts with an enzyme what is formed
enzyme product complex