Enzymes Make the World Go 'Round

Practically all of the numerous and complex biochemical

reactions that take place in animals, plants, and
microorganisms are regulated by enzymes. These catalytic
proteins are efficient and specificthat is, they accelerate
the rate of one kind of chemical reaction of one type of
compound, and they do so in a far more efficient manner
than manmade catalysts. They are controlled by activators
and inhibitors that initiate or block reactions.
Enzymes were known for many years as ferments, a term
derived from the Latin word for yeast. In 1878 the name
enzyme, from the Greek words meaning in yeast, was
introduced; since the late 19th century it has been
universally used.
An enzyme attracts substrates to its active site, catalyzes
the chemical reaction by which products are formed, and
then allows the products to dissociate. The combination
formed by an enzyme and its substrates is called the
enzymesubstrate complex. When two substrates and one
enzyme are involved, the complex is called a ternary
complex; one substrate and one enzyme are called a binary
complex. The substrates are attracted to the active site by
electrostatic and hydrophobic forces, which are called
noncovalent bonds because they are physical attractions
and not chemical bonds.
Some molecules very similar to the substrate for an enzyme
may be bound to the active site but are unable to react.
Such molecules cover the active site and thus prevent the
binding of the actual substrate to the site. This inhibition of
enzyme action is of a competitive nature, because the
inhibitor molecule actually competes with the substrate for
the active site.
Enzymes function most efficiently within a physiological
temperature range. Since enzymes are protein molecules,
they can be destroyed by high temperatures.

Increasing temperature has two effects on an enzyme. First,

the velocity of the reaction increases somewhat, because
the rate of chemical reactions tends to increase with
temperature; second, the enzyme is increasingly denatured.
Increasing temperature thus increases the metabolic rate
only within a limited range. If the temperature becomes too
high, enzyme denaturation destroys life. Low temperatures
also change the shapes of enzymes. With enzymes that are
cold-sensitive, the change causes loss of activity. Both
excessive cold and heat are therefore damaging to
enzymes.