Intracellular and extracellular enzymes

Question 1

How do enzynmes catalyse the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide? What enzyme does this?

Answer 1

hydrogen peroxide is a toxic product of many metabolic pathways

the enzyme catalase breaks it down to oxygen and water, therefore preventing its accumulation

Question 2

What is the general structure of nutrients?

Answer 2

polymers such as proteins and polysaccharides

need to be broken down

Question 3

How are enzymes involved in digestion?

Answer 3

enzymes are released by cells tobreak down these large nutrient molecules into smaller molecules

these are extracellular enzymes

Question 4

Why do nutrient molecules need to be broken down?

Answer 4

they are too large to enter cells

Question 5

What is the first stage of the break down of starch polymers?

Answer 5

partially broken down into maltose

the enzyme involved in this is amylase and is produced in the salivary glands and the pancreas, and released into mouth and small intestine

Question 6

How is maltose broken down?

Answer 6

enzyme maltase in the small intestine

Question 7

How are proteins digested?

Answer 7

trypsin catalyses the digestion of proteins into smaller peptides, which can then be broken down further into amino acids by other proteases

trypsin is produced in the pancreas and released with the pancreatic juice into the small intestine