Enzymes & Coenzymes Flashcards
What do enzymes do?
(Biological catalysts)
Speed up the rate of a reaction without altering the final equilibrium
What reaction does catalase catalyse? How much faster is the rate of the reaction when catalysed?
Hydrogen peroxide to water
10^14 times
What kind of molecule are enzymes?
Mainly proteins
Ribosomes = RNA-based
What does an enzyme affect which allows the reaction to occur faster?
(Lowers) activation energy
Why does the reaction reach equilibrium with an enzyme?
Product has (low) affinity for the enzyme
Product inhibition
What reactions does alcohol dehydrogenase catalyse?
Oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes
What is the term used to describe when an enzyme can catalyse the reaction of several similar molecules?
Group specificity
What will fit in an enzyme’s active site?
A substrate with the correct shape and charge
What is an example of a reaction of multiple enzymes acting sequentially on a substrate?
D-glucose to lactate/lactic acid
How does the IUB Commission on Enzymes classify enzymes?
1-6 based on type of reaction catalysed
4 number code for every individual enzyme
What are the main six classes of enzyme?
- Oxidoreductases
- Transferases
- Lyases
- Hydrolases
- Isomerases
- Ligases
What do enzymes of class 1 do?
Oxidoreductases
Catalyse redox reactions
Give an example of a class 1 enzyme
Lactate dehydrogenase
Anaerobic respiration: pyruvate + NADH + H+ –> L-lactate + NAD+
What do enzymes of class 2 do?
Transferases
Catalyse the transfer of functional groups between (different) molecules
Give an example of a class 2 enzyme
Alanine aminotransferase
Transamination: glutamate + pyruvate –> L-alanine + a-ketoglutarate
What do enzymes of class 3 do?
Lyases
Catalyse the cleavage of C-C, C-O or C-N bonds
Give an example of a class 3 enzyme
ATP-citrate lyase
ATP and CoA used in C-C cleavage citrate –> oxaloacetate + acetate