Notesale: Turn your study into money

Document Preview

Extracts from the notes are below, to see the PDF you'll receive please use the links above

---

ENZYMES
Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts in living organisms
...
Enzymes are highly specific and can catalyze a
particular chemical reaction or group of related reactions
...

This means they make it easier for the reactants to combine and form products
...

Enzymes have a unique three-dimensional structure that is critical to their function
...
Any
change in the sequence or structure of the enzyme can affect its activity or even render it
completely non-functional
...

ENzymology
Enzymology is the study of enzymes, including their structure, function, and mechanism of
action
...
This field encompasses a range of
scientific disciplines, including biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, and microbiology
...
They investigate the mechanisms by which enzymes bind
to their substrates, lower the activation energy of chemical reactions, and release the
products
...

Enzymology has many practical applications, including the development of new drugs and
therapies, the optimization of industrial processes, and the design of new enzymes with
novel properties
...

Mode of action of enzymes
The mode of action of enzymes refers to the specific way in which enzymes catalyze
chemical reactions
...
The mode of action of
enzymes can be described in several steps:
1
...

2
...
Enzymes are able to do this
by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to occur
...
Product release: After the chemical reaction is complete, the enzyme releases the
product(s) and is free to bind to another substrate molecule
...
Regeneration: The enzyme is regenerated and is available to catalyze another round of
the same reaction
...
Enzymes are typically very
selective in the substrates they bind to and the reactions they catalyze, and this specificity is
critical to their biological function
...
Some of the key properties of enzymes include:
1
...
This specificity arises from the precise three-dimensional
structure of the enzyme and the shape of its active site, which is the region where the
substrate(s) bind and the chemical reaction occurs
...
Catalytic activity: Enzymes can accelerate chemical reactions by factors of up to several
million-fold
...

3
...
This allows cells to fine-tune the
activity of enzymes in response to changing environmental conditions and metabolic
demands
...
Sensitivity to environmental factors: Enzymes are sensitive to changes in temperature,
pH, and other environmental factors
...

5
...
This makes enzymes highly efficient and allows them to catalyze many reactions
in a short amount of time
...
Specificity for cofactors: Many enzymes require cofactors, such as metal ions or
coenzymes, to function properly
...

Enzymes are highly specialized proteins that play critical roles in the chemistry of life
...

Chemical reactions

Enzymes are catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in living organisms
...
Hydrolysis: Enzymes catalyze the breakdown of large molecules into smaller ones
through the addition of water molecules
...

2
...

3
...
For example, enzymes are
involved in the conversion of glucose into fructose during glycolysis
...
Condensation: Enzymes catalyze the joining of two or more molecules into a larger one,
often with the elimination of water or another small molecule
...

5
...

These are just a few examples of the chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes
...

Factors affecting enzyme activity
The activity of enzymes is influenced by several factors, including:
1
...
Beyond this point, enzyme activity begins to decrease rapidly as
the enzyme becomes denatured
...

2
...
Deviations
from the optimal pH can alter the charge distribution and shape of the enzyme, which can
reduce enzyme activity
...

3
...
At
this point, all the enzyme active sites are fully occupied, and further increases in substrate
concentration will not increase the rate of the reaction
...
Enzyme concentration: Increasing the concentration of enzyme increases the rate of the
reaction, as more active sites are available to bind substrate molecules
...
Inhibitors: Inhibitors can bind to enzymes and reduce their activity
...

6
...
These can be inorganic ions, such as metal ions, or organic molecules, such as
vitamins
...

Enzyme activity is affected by a range of factors that can influence the shape, stability, and
catalytic efficiency of the enzyme
...

Classification and Nomenclature of enzymes
Enzymes are classified based on their function, mechanism of action, and the type of
reaction they catalyze
...
Oxidoreductases: These enzymes catalyze oxidation-reduction reactions, in which
electrons are transferred from one molecule to another
...

2
...
Examples include kinases,
transaminases, and methyltransferases
...
Hydrolases: These enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of bonds between molecules, often
through the addition of water
...

4
...
Examples include decarboxylases and
dehydratases
...
Isomerases: These enzymes catalyze the conversion of one isomer to another
...

6
...
Examples include DNA ligase and RNA ligase
...
For example, the enzyme lactase catalyzes the hydrolysis of lactose,
and the enzyme chymotrypsin catalyzes the hydrolysis of peptide bonds
...
Enzyme names can also include a numerical designation, such as EC (Enzyme
Commission) numbers, which provide a standardized system for enzyme classification
based on the type of reaction catalyzed
...
They can be organic or inorganic molecules, and they often work by helping to
stabilize the enzyme-substrate complex, or by participating in the chemical reaction itself
...

1
...
For
example, the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, which catalyzes the hydration of carbon dioxide,
requires a zinc ion as a co-factor
...

2
...

They often function as carriers of chemical groups, such as electrons or functional groups,
between enzymes
...
Examples of coenzymes include
NADH, FAD, ATP, and biotin
...
Understanding the role of co-factors in enzyme
function is critical for developing strategies to manipulate enzyme activity for
biotechnological and therapeutic applications
...
Here are
some of the important roles that enzymes play:
1
...

2
...

3
...

4
...

5
...

6
...


The importance of enzymes is reflected in the fact that many diseases are caused by defects
in enzyme function
...




---