Enzymes

• What are enzymes?


  Proteins that act as biological catalysts for intra & extracellular reactions.
• How do enzymes affect metabolism?

  They determine the structure and function of cells, affecting the metabolism of the whole organism.
• What determines the shape of an enzyme's active site?

  The specific tertiary structure of the enzyme.
• What is the role of enzyme-substrate (ES) complexes?

  They lower the activation energy of metabolic reactions.
• Give an example of an enzyme that catalyses intracellular reactions.

  Catalase.
• What reaction does catalase catalyse?

  The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
• Name two examples of enzymes that catalyse extracellular reactions.

  Amylase and Trypsin.
• What does amylase do?

  It catalyses the digestion of starch to maltose in saliva or small intestine lumen.
• What does trypsin do?


  It catalyses the hydrolysis of peptide bonds in the small intestine lumen.