ENZYMES

Enzymes
Most, but not all end in the suffix ase

Participate in reactions but are not used up or

changed in any way although they can eventually wear out Can perform either catabolic (destructive) reactions. eg. 1 substrate = 2 products Can perform either anabolic (constructive) reactions. eg. 2 substrate = 1 products

Some quick facts. Enzymes

Act at both the intra and extracellular level

Act on SUBSTRATE and yield PRODUCT

Reduce the ACTIVATION energy required to

start a reaction in the body Are very specific, each individual type of substrate is acted upon by a specific enzyme Generally names are based on the specific substrate (eg lipids acted upon by lipase)

Enzyme Structure
Enzymes have an active site and a regulatory region The active site is where substrate binds to the enzyme The regulatory region is where cofactors coenzymes or enzyme

inhibitors can alter the function of an enzyme

Substrate Products

Active site

Regulatory region

Enzyme inhibitor

Enzymes inhibitors / cofactors

Enzyme inhibitors can be either competitive

or non-competitive A competitive inhibitor blocks the substrate from entering the active site A non-competitive inhibitor binds to the regulatory region, thereby changing the shape of the active site Other enzymes will not work unless a particular cofactor occupies the regulatory region

The Lock and Key model of enzyme activity

The enzyme provides a perfect fit for a

particular substrate

The Induced Fit model of enzyme activity

The substrate induces the enzyme to change

shape to create a tighter fit

Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity

pH

Most biological enzymes operate at a neutral pH range of 6-8 If enzymes are at a pH outside their optimum range, their shape will change and they will be less efficient.
Enzyme Cells Location Opt. pH 7.6 Blood 7.4 Small Intestine 8.0 Stomach 2.0 Carbonic Anhydrase Trypsin Pepsin

Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity

Temperature Most biological enzymes have an optimum temperature of 37 If an enzyme is exposed to temperatures higher than optimum, it will permanently denature. If an enzyme is exposed to temperatures lower than optimum, it will become inactive until temperature returns to optimum. The enzymes of other organisms have optimum temperatures suited to the environment in which they live

Effect of temperature

Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity

Enzyme Concentration An increase in enzyme conc. will cause an increase in reaction rate but wont increase the yield. Substrate concentration Reaction rate will initially increase as unoccupied enzymes take on substrate but will then plateau. Inhibition Other molecules can block the active site or regulatory region of an enzyme.

Increasing substrate concentration

Enzymes advanced content

Biochemical pathways

Inhibition of biochemical pathways

Allosteric enzymes Biochemical processes