Enzymes

• The active site is the part of an enzyme where substrate molecules bind, while other parts of the enzyme do not interact with the substrates.
• When the substrate enters the active site, it undergoes chemical change (catalysis).
• The active site of an enzyme has a specific shape that fits only one type of molecule, called its substrate.
• Enzymes catalyze the formation and breakdown of cellular metabolites during anabolic and catabolic processes.
• Enzyme-substrate complex is formed when the substrate binds to an enzyme.
• Enzyme catalysis increases the rate of a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy barrier.
• Active sites have specific shapes to fit their corresponding substrates.
• Enzymes lower activation energy by providing a specific environment for the reaction to occur.
• Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts to speed up chemical reactions without being consumed or changed themselves.
• An example of this is amylase, which breaks down starch into maltose.
• Amylose has a helical structure, so if another carbohydrate had a different structure, it would not fit into the active site of amylase.
• Enzymes are proteins made up of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds.
• Amino acids have two functional groups - an R group and an amine (-NH2) or carboxyl (-COOH) group.
• An example of an enzymatic reaction is the conversion of glucose to pyruvic acid by hexokinase.
• Glucose-6-phosphate can be converted into fructose-6-phosphate through another enzymatic process.
• An enzyme's activity can be influenced by factors such as temperature, pH, concentration of reactants, inhibitors, activators, cofactors, and allosteric regulators.
• Temperature affects enzyme function because enzymes work best at their optimal temperature, which varies depending on the enzyme.
• High temperatures cause denaturation of enzymes, which disrupts their tertiary structure and reduces their ability to function properly.
• Enzymes increase the speed at which reactions take place without being used up or changed themselves.