Enzymes Sevinj Ahmadova

Overview
• What are Enzymes and why do we need them?
• How Enzymes function?
• Lock&Key
• Induced Fit
• What factors affect enzyme activity?
• Temperature
• pH
• Surface area, etc.
• How knowledge on enzymes can be applied to daily life?
Enzymes are…
• ….biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in cells
Rxns such as respiration, photosynthesis, protein synthesis

• Enzymes are made by living organisms and are large proteins

• Chemical rxns are usually slow – would have required lots of energy if
enzymes were absent

*Enzymes are not used up or modified during the rxns, rather they catalyse or
speed up the rxns
How
Enzymes
work
• Substrate is used to build up or break
down into a new product
• Active site – specific part of enzyme
with unique shape that binds to
substrate
*Unique shape of enzyme’s Active site
ensures that only specific chemical rxn
is catalyzed
 But how do they really work??

All rxns require energy to get started – ACTIVATION ENERGY

- Either by heating or catalyzing,
but heating in living organisms can lead to denaturation of
proteins

• https://www.abpischools.org.uk/full-screen-animation/386/384 - normal
enzyme action
• https://www.abpischools.org.uk/full-screen-animation/387/385 - effect of
temperature on enzyme action

*Denaturation – unfolding of protein that leads to loss of shape and function of protein
Enzymes lower
down the
Activation energy

https://www.abpischools.org.uk/full-screen-animatio
n/958/957
2 models of Enzyme action

Animation of enzyme action

https://www.abpischools.org.uk
/full-screen-animation/968/967

Lock-and-Key mode Induced-fit mode

 • There is a vast variety of enzymes inside and outside of the
Enzymes in cells
Digestive system • Some examples from Digestive system
Factors affecting Enzyme activity
Enzymes speed up rxns by a factor of 108 – 1026 over the uncatalysed
rate of reaction. 

- Substrate concentration
- Temperature
- pH
- Surface area
 Substrate
concentratio
n
The more substrate molecules there are, the faster the reaction takes
place as more of the active sites are used.
 Temperature
High temperatures can cause
denaturation and loss of shape
of Active site

https://www.abpischools.org.uk/full-screen-animation/979/976
 pH
Hydrogen bonds play essential role in
maintenance of 3D shape of a protein –
Enzyme; changes in pH can cause disruption in
shape and loss of function

https://www.abpischools.org.uk/full-screen-animation/980/978
Surface area
• Frequency of successful collisions defines the rate of reaction
• When substrate is folded or has low surface area/volume ratio – rxn
rate is low.

• Ex: HCl unfolds proteins from food in the stomach to make polypeptide
chains more accessible for pepsin
Additional factors

• Role of Inhibitors – chemicals that

decrease enzyme’s activity
https://www.abpischools.org.uk/full-sc
reen-animation/983/982
• Role of Activators - chemicals that
increase enzyme’s activity
• Role of Coenzyme – non-protein
compound of enzyme that activates
it
Apoenzyme
Cofactor
Holoenzyme
Applications and Uses
can be acquired from organisms, purified and then used in science and
industry
• Amylases - used in textile and paper production
• Ficin - used in photography processes
• Pepsin - used in the pharmaceutical industry
• Bacterial proteases - used in making leather, textiles and in laundry
• Catalase - used in rubber production
• Taq polymerase - used in amplifying DNA found at crime scenes
Next lesson:
Lab Simulation
• https://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucbcdab/enzass/enzymass.htm