Enzyme Terms

Enzyme Terms

Active Site – the part of the enzyme that binds the substrate(s) to result in product formation.

Activation Energy – the energy needed for the reaction to take place. Enzymes reduce this!

Bioreactor – a large scale fermenting devise used to produce and use enzymes under controlled conditions from microorganisms. Can be used in batch or continuous culture.

Enzyme – a biological catalyst, which speeds up reactions without being changed, usually a protein.

Inhibitor – Enzyme reaction rates can be decreased by various inhibitors, which generally make the binding of the substrate more difficult. (activators make binding more likely!)

Products – the molecules produced by an enzyme catalyzed reaction.

Substrate – the molecules that react during an enzyme catalyzed reaction.

Enzymes are highly specific because of their chemical structure, which fits with the substrates! Their activity generally has some optimal temperature and pH, outside of which their active sites lose structure (or denature). Generally, an enzyme speeds up reactions that could normally occur.

Examples of enzymes:

amylase – converts starch to sugar

catalase – breaks down hydrogen peroxide (a toxic by product of cell metabolism)

lipase – breaks down fats

protease – breaks down proteins

pectinase – breaks down plant cell clumps

Carbonic anhydrase will catalyze the rapid interconversion of carbon dioxide and water to bicarbonate and protons or vice versa. In animals, this can maintain the acidic balance of the blood and other tissues, and help transport carbon dioxide out of tissues. The reaction that is mediated by this enzyme, forward or reverse, is in part determined by how much carbon dioxide is present. These reactions are so important that at least five distinct families of this enzyme have arisen independently (convergent evolution).

Enzymes can be used for wound dressings (catalase), washing powders, textiles, and food production, to help avoid the use of extreme (and expensive) industrial processes.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal">In the cell, enzymes often act together in metabolic pathways, working in a specific order.