Enzymes

• What are enzymes?


  Biological catalysts that speed up biochemical reactions
• Why are enzymes important for metabolic reactions?


  They allow reactions to occur quickly and precisely
• What type of proteins are enzymes?


  Globular proteins
• How does the type of enzyme produced in a cell get determined?

  By the genes active in that cell
• What are substrates in the context of enzymes?


  Molecules entering into chemical reactions
• What happens to substrates when they bind to enzymes?


  They undergo chemical changes resulting in products
• What are intracellular enzymes?


  Enzymes that stay inside the cells
• What are extracellular enzymes?


  Enzymes that are allowed to go outside the cell
• What is enzymology?


  The study of structure, type, and role of enzymes
• What effect does chewing food have on enzyme production?

  It increases the production of starch-digesting enzymes
• How does chewing trigger the production of HCl in the stomach?


  It regulates the lower pH to activate pepsin
• What are the roles of intracellular and extracellular enzymes?


  • Intracellular enzymes: speed up reactions inside cells
  • Extracellular enzymes: function outside cells, e.g., in digestion
• What is the significance of enzymes in metabolism?


  • Speed up biochemical reactions
  • Allow metabolic processes to occur efficiently
• What are enzyme activators?


  Enzyme activators are molecules that increase the activity of an enzyme.
• How do enzyme activators increase enzyme activity?


  They bind to the enzyme, causing a conformational change that makes the enzyme more effective at catalyzing a reaction.
• What happens when an enzyme activator binds to an enzyme?


  The binding causes the enzyme to change its 3D shape or conformation.
• What is the effect of the conformational change induced by enzyme activators?


  It makes the enzyme's active site more effective at lowering the activation energy of the reaction.
• Do enzyme activators start the reaction?


  No, they help the enzyme catalyze the reaction more efficiently.
• What is the role of enzyme activators in catalysis?


  They assist the enzyme during catalysis by enhancing its catalytic activity.
• How do enzyme activators differ from initiators of a reaction?


  Activators do not initiate the reaction; they enhance the enzyme's ability to catalyze it.
• What do enzyme activators require to function effectively?


  They require the proper substrates and sufficient activation energy to assist the enzyme.
• What are the key steps in how enzyme activators enhance catalysis?


  1. Binding to the enzyme at the activator binding site.
  2. Inducing a conformational change in the enzyme.
  3. Enhancing the catalytic activity of the enzyme's active site.