ENZYMES

WHAT ARE ENZYMES?

↝ Biological catalysts** that are made of protein
↝ Globular proteins that catalyse metabolic reactions

Metabolism is all the chemical reactions that take place within an organism. Some are
anabolic ( joining small molecules together to make larger molecules) and others are
catabolic ( breaking down large molecules to create smaller molecules).

**A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction but remains unchanged at the end
of the reaction.

STRUCTURE OF ENZYMES

Along with being three dimensional, amino acid chains are folded into a ball-like
configuration making them globular proteins.

They have active sites and some non-protein cofactors.

Active Sites

Amino acids may be far apart on the chain but are brought close together due to
folding. This folding pattern forms the active site. The shape of an active site is
determined by the sequence of the amino acids.

Co-Factors

These are non-protein substances that aid enzymes in their activities.

These include:

Prosthetic Groups These are inorganic molecules bound to the enzyme.

Just as prosthetic limbs help us, prosthetic groups
assist the enzyme in doing many things.
They can make the enzyme active and/or assist in
holding the enzyme together.

Activators These are substances which assist enzymes in carrying

out their function( Usually inorganic metal ions).

Eg. Calcium activates thrombokinase

Coenzymes These are organic molecules not bound to the enzyme

but crucial to their function.

Usually made from vitamins, they assist in turning

substrates into products.
 HOW ENZYMES WORK

Chemical reactions happen at a slow rate under normal conditions, where all the
reactants won't be necessarily converted to products.

Every chemical reaction has a specific equilibrium point. This is related to the free
energy