Links
Objectives
- Describe what an enzyme is and what it does
- Discuss the ways enzymes are regulated
- Explain the kinds of enzyme inhibition and example scenarios
Key points
- enzymes speed up reactions that would happen anyway
- terminology: substrate, product, naming, active site
- enzymes lower the activation energy of a reaction by making more stable transition states
- bring substrates together in correct orientation
- placing bond-angle stress on reactive group
- facilitating oxidation or reduction of substrate
- enzymes are not permanently changed by reactions, cycle and reused
- very highly specific for substrates
- regulation of enzymes by feedback inhibition
- competitive inhibitors bind to active site
- allosteric inhibitors bind to other site and change active site
In-class activities
Read the article New Enzymes Created For Biofuel Production and respond to the following questions:
- What reaction did the newly-invented enzymes catalyze? Be specific and use chemical terms and structures.
- What are some sources of cellulose, and why is it preferrable to starch as a starting material for biofuel?
- How did the researchers ‘create’ these new enzymes?
- In what ways do you think the new enzymes differ from the natural ones?
- Name some of the properties of the new enzymes compared to the natural ones.