ENZYMES

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

OVERVIEW of ENZYMES

Enzymes are biologic catalysts.

Catalysts are substances that
increase the speed of a chemical
reaction, it is not permanently changed,
nor does it cause the reaction to occur,
that is, a catalyst can increase the
speed of a reaction but cannot cause
that reaction if it would not occur in the
absence of catalyst. Since catalysts are
not used up, they can be used over and
over again.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Enzymes
produced
reactant
reaction is

Elino,

OVERVIEW of ENZYMES

are
organic
catalyst
by an organisms.
The
in
an
enzyme-catalyzed
called substrate.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

OVERVIEW of ENZYMES

The small portion of the molecule that is

responsible for the catalytic action of
the enzyme is the active site.

What are Enzymes?

The chemical reactions that take place inside an organism, i.e. its
metabolism, must be controlled. The rate of these metabolic
reactions is controlled by enzymes.
Enzymes are globular proteins (3-D spherical shape). They are
usually named by adding the suffix ase to the name of the
substrate it helps metabolise.
E.g. Maltase helps break down the disaccharide maltose
Lactase helps break down the disaccharide lactose
Amylase helps break down the polysaccharide starch
(amylose)

Enzymes regulate the metabolic processes that occur in

cells
They are catalysts, they speed up reactions and are not
used up themselves in the reaction
The energy needed to start a reaction is the ACTIVATION
ENERGY
Enzymes lower the activation energy, so reactions can take
place at acceptable temperatures in living organisms

Activation Energy

WITHOUT ENZYME to
Activation
Energy

Substrate
Substrate(s)

Product(s)

Time

change into a product the

energy of the substrate
must
Activation
Energy
be briefly raised by an
amount Substrate(s)
known as the
Substrate
Activation Energy

Potential Energy
(of molecules)

Potential Energy
(of molecules)

Activation energy is the amount of energy required

to start off a chemical reaction, where the
reactant(s) are turned into product(s).
The reaction will not occur unless extra energy is
given temporarily to the molecules:

Product(s)

Time
http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animati
ons/content/enzymes/enzymes.html

WITH ENZYME when a

substrate binds to an
enzyme, the Activation
Energy is lowered because
they split the reaction into
smaller stages

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

OVERVIEW of ENZYMES

2. Enzymes are highly specific with

varying degrees
of specifity.
Absolute specifity they act on one
substrate and
only on that substrate.
Stereospecifity such enzymes that can
detect the
difference between optical
isomers (mirror
images) and select
only one of such isomers.
Reaction specifity enzymes that

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

OVERVIEW of ENZYMES

Group specifity enzymes that

catalyzes a group of substances that
contain specific compounds.
3. The activity of enzymes is closely
regulated control.

Enzymes can act on only one type of substrate

this substrate

cannot combine
with this enzyme

this substrate

cannot combine
with this enzyme

22

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ENZYME REACTION

Enzymes are proteins and therefore

undergo all the
reactions that proteins
do. That is, enzymes
can be
coagulated by heat, alcohol, strong
acids, and alkaloidal reagents.
Temperature Requirement
The higher the temperature, the
faster the rate of reaction. The best
temperature for enzyme function the
temperature at which the rate of a
reaction involving an enzyme is the

Because enzymes are proteins, they are denatured by

heat or some chemicals

enzyme +
substrate

denatured enzyme

enzyme
denatured
by heat

cannot combine with substrate

23

Temperature

5- 40oC
Increase in Activity

Rate of Reaction

40oC - denatures

0
<5oC - inactive

10

20

30

40

50

60

Effect of heat on enzyme activty

If you heat the protein above its optimal temperature
bonds break
meaning the protein loses it secondary and tertiary structure

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ENZYME REACTION

Role of pH
Each enzyme has a pH range within
which it can best function. This is called
optimum pH range for that particular
enzyme. For example, the optimum pH
range of pepsin, an enzyme found in
gastric juice, is approximately 2.0,
whereas the optimum pH range of
trypsin, an enzyme found in pancreatic
juice, is near 8.2.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ENZYME REACTION

If the pH of a substrate is too far

from the optimum pH required by the
enzyme, that enzyme cannot function at
all. However, since body fluids contains
buffers, the pH usually does not vary too
far from the optimum values.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ENZYME REACTION

Effect of Concentration
As with the all chemical reactions,
the speed is increased with an increase in
concentration of reacctants. With an
increased concentration of substrate, the
rate of the reaction will increase until
available enzyme becomes saturated
with substrate.
Also with an increase in the amount
of enzyme, the rate of reaction will

Substrate Concentration

Rate of Reaction

Active sites full- maximum turnover

Substrate Concentration

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ACTIVATORS and
INHIBITORS

Activators inorganic substances that

tend to increase the activity of enzyme.
Inhibitors any substance that will make
the enzyme less active or render it
inactive.
Competitive
inhibitors

binds
reversibly in the active site and so block
the access by the substrate.
Incompetitive inhibitors bind to
another site on the enzyme to render it

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ACTIVATORS and
INHIBITORS

Irreversible inhibitors form strong

covalent bonds with the enzymes,
rendering it inactive. This effect cant be
overcome
by
increasing
the
concentration of the substrate.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ACTIVATORS and
INHIBITORS

Poisons
Many
enzymes
inhibitors
are
poisonous because their effect on
enzyme activity. Mercury and Lead
compounds are poisonous because they
react with sulfhydryl groups ( - SH) of an
enzymes and so change its conformation.
The subsequent loss of enzyme activity
leads to the various symptoms of lead
and mercury poisoning, such as loss of
equilibrium, hearing, sight, and touch,
which are generally irreversible.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ACTIVATORS and
INHIBITORS

Drugs
While some enzyme inhibitors are
poisonous, others are beneficial to life.
Pencillin acts as an enzyme inhibitor for
transpeptide, a substance that bacteria
need to build their cell walls. If the cell
wall is lacking, osmotic pressure causes
the bacterial cell to burst and die.
However, new strains of bacteria have
developed an enzyme, penicillinase, that
inactivates penicillin. To destroy these
new
strains,
synthetically
modified

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

MODE OF ENZYME
ACTIVITY

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ACTIVATORS and
INHIBITORS

Lock-and key Model

Wherein the substrate must fit into

the active site of the enzyme hence the
specifity of the enzyme.
Induced-Fit Model
Suggests that the active site is not
rigid as the Lock-and-Key Model, but
flexible. That is, the site changes in
conformation upon binding to a substrate

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

MODE OF ENZYME
ACTIVITY

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ALLOSTERIC REGULATION

Allosteric regulation
is the regulation of anenzymeor
otherproteinby
binding
aneffectormolecule at the enzyme's
allosteric site (that is, a site other than
the active site).
Effectors
that
enhance
the
protein's activity are referred to
asallosteric enzymes, whereas those
that decrease the protein's activity are
callednoncompetitive inhibitors.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ALLOSTERIC REGULATION

Allosteric regulation

This control of key enzymes is

utmost importance to ensure that
biologic processes remain coordinated
at all times to meet the immediate
metabolic needs of the cells.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ZYMOGENS

Zymogens
are inactive pprecursors of
enzymes. Most digestive and bloodclotting enzymes exist in the zymogen
form, until activated.
In the case of digestive enzymes,
this is necessary to prevent digestion of
pancreatic and gastric tissue. For blood
clotting, it is to avoid premature of blood
cells.

ENZYMES

Elino,

M.M.H.

ZYMOGENS

ZYMOGEN

ACTIVE FORM OF
ENZYME

pepsinogen

pepsin

trypsinogen

trypsin

prothrombin

thrombin

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ZYMOGENS

Lactose Intolerance
Individuals who cannot eat food
containing lactose are said to be lactose
intolerant.
They lack enzyme lactase, which is
requires for the hydrolysis of lactose.
As a result, lactose accumulates in
the intestinal tract and pulls water out of
the tissues by osmosis. This is turn
causes abdominal cramps, distention,
and diarrhea.

ENZYMES
M.M.H.

Elino,

ZYMOGENS

Lactose Intolerance
To overcome such an effect today,
an individual may take Lactaid orally to
supply the missing enzyme.