Enzymes Flashcards
What are enzymes?
Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions.
What are substrates?
The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products.
What is meant by the specificity of enzymes?
Enzymes are specific. Each type of enzyme typically only reacts with one or a couple of substrates.
What is the characteristic of enzymes regarding their reusability during biochemical reactions?
Enzymes are reusable. Enzymes are not reactants and are not used up during the reaction. Once an enzyme binds to a substrate and catalyses the reaction, the enzyme is released, unchanged, and can be used for another reaction.
How can enzymes be damaged?
Heat, disease, or harsh chemical conditions can damage enzymes and change their shape. When this happens, the enzymes don’t work anymore.
What is metabolism?
The sum of all chemical reactions going on within a living organism is known as metabolism.
What are anabolic reactions?
Anabolic reactions build up large molecules from smaller ones, and usually require an input of energy.
What are catabolic reactions?
Catabolic reactions break down large molecules into smaller ones, and often release energy.
What is a catalyst?
Catalysts speed up reactions without themselves being changed in the reaction.
Enzyme, substrate and products.
Enzyme + Substrate —> Enzyme-Substrate complex —> Enzyme + products.
What do carbohydrases do?
Carbohydrases break down carbohydrates (catabolic reaction).
Proteases
Proteases break down proteins. (Catabolic reaction)
Lipases
Break down fats
Anabolism
Set of metabolic pathways that synthesize larger molecules from smaller ones.
Catabolism
Set of metabolic pathways that break larger molecules into smaller ones. Catabolism supplies the energy for anabolism.
