Enzymer Flashcards
(43 cards)
What are enzymes?
Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in living organisms.
True or False: Enzymes are consumed in the reactions they catalyze.
False
What is the active site of an enzyme?
The active site is the region on the enzyme where substrate molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction.
Fill in the blank: Enzymes lower the _____ of a chemical reaction.
activation energy
What is enzyme kinetics?
Enzyme kinetics is the study of the rates of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
What is the Michaelis-Menten equation used for?
The Michaelis-Menten equation is used to describe the rate of enzymatic reactions with a single substrate.
Define Vmax in enzyme kinetics.
Vmax is the maximum rate of an enzymatic reaction when the enzyme is saturated with substrate.
What does Km represent in enzyme kinetics?
Km is the Michaelis constant, which represents the substrate concentration at which the reaction rate is half of Vmax.
True or False: A lower Km value indicates a higher affinity between the enzyme and the substrate.
True
What is a competitive inhibitor?
A competitive inhibitor is a substance that competes with the substrate for binding to the active site of the enzyme.
How does a non-competitive inhibitor affect enzyme activity?
A non-competitive inhibitor binds to an enzyme at a site other than the active site, reducing the overall number of active enzymes.
Fill in the blank: Enzymes are typically proteins, but some are made of _____.
RNA
What role do cofactors play in enzymatic reactions?
Cofactors are non-protein molecules that assist enzymes in catalyzing reactions.
What is allosteric regulation?
Allosteric regulation is the process by which the binding of a molecule to a site other than the active site affects enzyme activity.
True or False: Enzymes can function at any temperature.
False
What effect does temperature have on enzyme activity?
Enzyme activity typically increases with temperature up to a certain point, after which it decreases due to denaturation.
What is enzyme denaturation?
Enzyme denaturation is the process where the enzyme loses its three-dimensional structure and, consequently, its activity.
What is a substrate?
A substrate is a reactant molecule upon which an enzyme acts.
Fill in the blank: The _____ model describes the specific interaction between an enzyme and its substrate.
lock and key
What is the difference between a reversible and irreversible inhibitor?
Reversible inhibitors can bind and unbind from the enzyme, while irreversible inhibitors permanently deactivate the enzyme.
What is feedback inhibition?
Feedback inhibition is a regulatory mechanism where the end product of a metabolic pathway inhibits an enzyme involved in its synthesis.
True or False: Enzymes can catalyze reactions in both directions.
True
What is the role of enzyme specificity?
Enzyme specificity refers to the ability of an enzyme to select for a particular substrate among a group of similar molecules.
What are zymogens?
Zymogens are inactive enzyme precursors that require a biochemical change to become active.