The mechanism of enzyme action is to ____

Enzymes are biological catalysts. Catalysts lower the activation energy for reactions. The lower the activation energy for a reaction, the faster the rate. Thus enzymes speed up reactions by lowering activation energy. Many enzymes change shape when substrates bind. This is termed "induced fit", meaning that the precise orientation of the enzyme required for catalytic activity can be induced by the binding of the substrate.

Table of Contents Show

Enzyme Function
Explore More
Explore More I
Explore More II
What is the name for the mechanism of enzyme?
What is the action of an enzyme quizlet?

Enzymes have active sites. The enzyme active site is the location on the enzyme surface where substrates bind, and where the chemical reaction catalyzed by the enzyme occurs. There is a precise substrate interaction that occurs at the active site stabilized by numerous weak interactions (hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic contacts, and van der Waals forces).

Enzymes form complexes with their substrates. The binding of a substrate to an enzyme active site is termed the "enzyme-substrate complex." A generic equation for complex formation is as follows:

Enzymes do not:Change the equilibrium constant for a reaction. Keq depends only on the difference in energy level between reactants and products.

Change ΔG for a reaction. As shown in the graphs above, enzymes only lower activation energy, but do not change the difference in energy levels between reactants and products.

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

Do cells have one enzyme with lots of functions, or many enzymes, each with just one function?

Enzymes. Magical proteins necessary for life. So how do enzymes work? How do they catalyze just one specific biochemical reaction? In a puzzle, only two pieces will fit together properly. Understanding that is one of the main steps in understanding how enzymes work.

Enzyme Function

How do enzymes speed up biochemical reactions so dramatically? Like all catalysts, enzymes work by lowering the activation energy of chemical reactions. Activation energy is the energy needed to start a chemical reaction. This is illustrated in Figure . The biochemical reaction shown in the figure requires about three times as much activation energy without the enzyme as it does with the enzyme.

An animation of how enzymes work can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZD5xsOKres (2:02).

As you view Enzyme Animation, focus on this concept:
how enzymes function.

The reaction represented by this graph is a combustion reaction involving the reactants glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2). The products of the reaction are carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). Energy is also released during the reaction. The enzyme speeds up the reaction by lowering the activation energy needed for the reaction to start. Compare the activation energy with and without the enzyme.

Enzymes generally lower activation energy by reducing the energy needed for reactants to come together and react. For example:

Enzymes bring reactants together so they don’t have to expend energy moving about until they collide at random. Enzymes bind both reactant molecules (called the substrate), tightly and specifically, at a site on the enzyme molecule called the active site (Figure).
By binding reactants at the active site, enzymes also position reactants correctly, so they do not have to overcome intermolecular forces that would otherwise push them apart. This allows the molecules to interact with less energy.
Enzymes may also allow reactions to occur by different pathways that have lower activation energy.

The active site is specific for the reactants of the biochemical reaction the enzyme catalyzes. Similar to puzzle pieces fitting together, the active site can only bind certain substrates.

This enzyme molecule binds reactant molecules—called substrate—at its active site, forming an enzyme-substrate complex. This brings the reactants together and positions them correctly so the reaction can occur. After the reaction, the products are released from the enzyme’s active site. This frees up the enzyme so it can catalyze additional reactions.

The activities of enzymes also depend on the temperature, ionic conditions, and the pH of the surroundings. Some enzymes work best at acidic pHs, while others work best in neutral environments.

Digestive enzymes secreted in the acidic environment (low pH) of the stomach help break down proteins into smaller molecules. The main digestive enzyme in the stomach is pepsin, which works best at a pH of about 1.5. These enzymes would not work optimally at other pHs. Trypsin is another enzyme in the digestive system, which breaks protein chains in food into smaller parts. Trypsin works in the small intestine, which is not an acidic environment. Trypsin's optimum pH is about 8.
Biochemical reactions are optimal at physiological temperatures. For example, mostbiochemical reactions work best at the normal body temperature of 98.6˚F. Many enzymes lose function at lower and higher temperatures. At higher temperatures, an enzyme’s shape deteriorates. Only when the temperature comes back to normal does the enzyme regain its shape and normal activity.

Summary

Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy needed to start biochemical reactions.
The activities of enzymes depend on the temperature, ionic conditions, and the pH of the surroundings.

Explore More

Explore More I

Use this resource to answer the questions that follow.

Enzymes Make the World Go 'Round athttp://www.chem4kids.com/files/bio_enzymes.html.

What are enzymes?
How many jobs in the cell can one enzyme do?
What is the substrate?
How does an enzyme interact with a substrate?
List four factors that can regulate enzyme activity?

Explore More II

Enzyme Kinetics at http://www.kscience.co.uk/animations/model.swf.

Review

How do enzymes speed up biochemical reactions?
Where is the active site located? Explain the role of the active site?
Complete this sentence: The activities of enzymes depends on the __________, __________ conditions, and the __________ of the surroundings.
Distinguish between the conditions needed for the proper functioning of pepsin and trypsin.

This page titled 1.18: Enzyme Function is shared under a CK-12 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by CK-12 Foundation via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

What is the name for the mechanism of enzyme?

The catalytic cycle helps to explain the mechanism of enzyme action through the following points: The substrate gets bound to the active site. This induces an alteration in the shape of the enzyme. The enzyme-product complex is formed by making and breaking bonds.

What is the action of an enzyme quizlet?

Enzyme is a biological catalyst, which is protein in nature, and can speed up the rate of a chemical reaction, without it being chemically changed at the end of the reaction. How do enzymes work? Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy of a reaction.