Chapter 20, Problem 20.62AQAP

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

To determine whether each of following would be a substrate (S) or an enzyme (E)

a. glucose

b. hydrolase

c. maleate isomerase

d. alanine

e. amylose

f. amylase

Concept introduction:

Enzymes are biological catalysts that accelerate chemical reaction by lowering its activation energy. Almost all metabolic process inside the body require an enzyme. Enzymes are bio-molecules made of globular proteins. Each enzyme has a tiny portion in their structure that directly take part in the catalytic reaction. This tiny portion are known as the catalytic site. An enzyme is often named from its substrate or the chemical reaction it catalyses, with the word ending in -ase

On the other hand, the chemicals onto which an enzyme acts are known as the substrate molecule. In order to convert a substrate molecule into a product, first an enzyme must bind with a substrate to form an enzyme-substrate complex (ES) adduct. Enzymes are usually very specific as to what substrate they bind and then the chemical reaction catalysed. An enzyme can bind with substrate by two different models namely induced fit model and lock-and-key model. Different enzymes are used to catalyse different reaction within the body.