Lecture 8: The awesome power of enzymes Flashcards
1
Q
What are enzymes?
How do the catalyse reactions?
A
Are proteins that catalyse biochemical reactions
- decrease the free energy for activation
- accelerate forward and reverse reactions equally
2
Q
Why are biological systems not very good for doing chemistry?
A
- Limited to one solvent H20
- Limited to low temperature
- Limited(most of the time) to near neutral pH
3
Q
What is enzyme engineering?
A
- make even better enzymes
introduce mutations to enzymes, see what effects it has on function - test mutated proteins for new activity
