Enzyme Factors and Conditions

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Recommended: Enzymes and their functions

Enzymes are catalysts that increase the rate of a reaction by lowering the activation energy required for said reaction to occur spontaneously. The majority of enzymes are proteins, though enzymes can also be small RNA molecules, or ribozymes (Topic 3.1-Enzymes are True Catalysts). Enzymes are highly specific and are generally composed of 1 or more polypeptides that are folded into the most stable conformation, the native state. Also, enzymes require precise conditions in order to catalyze different types of reactions (Topic 3.2-Specificity, Tymoczko, J. L., Berg, J. M., & Stryer, L. 2013. p. 93-95). Physical and chemical factors that can affect an enzyme’s functionality and performance include, but are not limited to, (1) heat/temperature, (2) pH, (3) allosteric regulation, (4) the presence of cofactors, (5) the presence of inhibitors, and (6) the substrate concentration. These factors can change an enzyme’s environmental conditions and result in a change in enzymatic performance as enzymes may become denatured and/or may no longer be able to function properly/or as efficiently in their new conditions. Enzymes operate within a specific temperature range for optimal performance. Depending on the enzyme and the type of reaction it catalyzes, the enzyme’s optimal temperature range may be a wide range or a narrow range. If the temperature of the enzyme’s environment is too low or too high, this can result in damage in the enzyme’s structure as the protein becomes denatured (Topic 2.3-Denaturation and Its Effect on Structure). Consequently, the enzyme may be unable to resume its original conformation, thereby losing its functionality and halting catalytic activity (Tymoczko et al., 2013. p. 126-127). pH can ... ... middle of paper ... ... until the Vmax is reached, where the rate will plateau (The Effect of Substrate Concentration on Enzyme Activity, n.d.). Works Cited Allosteric Regulation. Princeton University. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Allosteric_regulation.html Coenzymes and Cofactors. Brooklyn College-The City University of New York. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/biology/bio4fv/page/coenzy_.htm The Effect of Substrate Concentration of Enzyme Activity. University College London. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucbcdab/enzass/substrate.htm Topic 2.3-Denaturation and Its Effect on Structure Topic 3.1-Enzymes are True Catalysts Topic 3.2-Specificity Tymoczko, J. L., Berg, J. M., & Stryer, L. (2013). Biochemistry: A Short Course, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman and Co.

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