Enzymes Flashcards
What are the uses of enzymes?
reduce temperatures and pressures needed for reactions to occur in the body
catalyse reactions inside cells
What is the structure of an enzyme and how do they work?
globular proteins that interact with substrate molecules causing them to react at much faster rates
What are the anabolic reactions and catabolic reactions?
anabolic is building up e.g. growth of tissues catabolic are breaking down, e.g. breaking down of glucose
What is Vmax?
maximum rate of the enzyme-catalysed reaction
What is the specificity of the enzyme?
each enzymes catalyses one biochemical reaction there a thousands in any given cell
How do enzymes increasing the rates of reaction?
hold the substrate in the right place so it has a greater chance of reacting molecules needed to be orientated correctly in order to react
What is the lock and key hypothesis?
the area within the tertiary structure has a shape that is complementary to the shape of a specific substate molecule - active site only the right key will fit into a lock
What is a enzyme substrate complex?
bound to the active site an enzyme-substrate complex is formed they then react and the products are formed in an enzyme-product complex
What is the induced-fit hypothesis?
new research shows the enzyme slightly changes shape as the substrate enters
the interaction between the enzyme and substrate are weak initially, however the interactions rapidly induce changes,
strengthening the bind this can weaken bonds in the substrate and lower the activation energy
Describe how an enzyme breaks down a substance
- substrate complementary to active site
- substrate enters active site
- induced fit
- forms enzyme-substrate complex
- destabilisng bonds results in lower activation energy
- results in enzyme-product complex
- products leave active site
