Enzymes: Basics and Functions

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What is an enzyme?

An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in cells.

How do enzymes work?

Enzymes lower the activation energy of a reaction, allowing it to proceed faster.

What is the active site of an enzyme?

The active site is the region on an enzyme where the substrate molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction.

What is a substrate in the context of enzymes?

A substrate is the reactant that an enzyme acts upon during a chemical reaction.

What does it mean when an enzyme is described as 'specific'?

Enzymes are specific because they typically catalyze only one type of reaction for a particular substrate.

How does temperature affect enzyme activity?

Higher temperatures generally increase enzyme activity, but extreme temperatures can denature enzymes.

What is enzyme denaturation?

Denaturation is the irreversible alteration of an enzyme's structure, resulting in a loss of function.

How does pH affect enzyme activity?

Each enzyme has an optimal pH; deviance from this pH can reduce enzyme activity and lead to denaturation.

What is a coenzyme?

A coenzyme is a non-protein compound that helps an enzyme carry out its function.

Can you name a factor, other than temperature and pH, that affects enzyme activity?

Substrate concentration can affect enzyme activity; increased concentration can increase activity up to a point.

What is an enzyme inhibitor?

An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to an enzyme and decreases its activity.

What is competitive inhibition?

Competitive inhibition occurs when an inhibitor competes with the substrate for the active site of an enzyme.

What is allosteric regulation in enzymes?

Allosteric regulation involves the binding of a molecule to a site other than the active site, changing enzyme activity.

How are enzymes used in the industry?

Enzymes are used in various industries, including detergents, food processing, and pharmaceuticals, to speed up chemical processes.

What is the induced fit model?

The induced fit model suggests that enzyme binding to the substrate causes a change in the enzyme's shape to facilitate the reaction.





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1. What is an enzyme?

An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in cells.

An enzyme is a type of sugar produced by plants.

An enzyme is a part of the cell membrane.

An enzyme is a protein that stores genetic information.

2. How do enzymes work?

Enzymes lower the activation energy of a reaction, allowing it to proceed faster.

Enzymes increase the activation energy, preventing reactions from occurring.

Enzymes work by changing the pH of the environment.

Enzymes break down the reactants into smaller pieces.

3. What is the active site of an enzyme?

The active site is the region on an enzyme where the substrate molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction.

The active site is the place where enzymes are stored.

The active site is the gene that codes for an enzyme.

The active site determines the enzyme's solubility.

4. What is a substrate in the context of enzymes?

A substrate is the reactant that an enzyme acts upon during a chemical reaction.

A substrate is the inactive form of an enzyme.

A substrate is a by-product of enzyme activity.

A substrate is a compound that inhibits enzyme function.

5. What does it mean when an enzyme is described as 'specific'?

Enzymes are specific because they typically catalyze only one type of reaction for a particular substrate.

Enzymes are specific because they can catalyze any reaction.

Enzymes are specific because they can bind to multiple substrates at once.

Enzymes are specific because they work only within specific cells.

6. How does temperature affect enzyme activity?

Higher temperatures generally increase enzyme activity, but extreme temperatures can denature enzymes.

Temperature does not affect enzyme activity.

Lower temperatures increase enzyme activity.

Higher temperatures always decrease enzyme activity.

7. What is enzyme denaturation?

Denaturation is the irreversible alteration of an enzyme's structure, resulting in a loss of function.

Denaturation is the reversible change of enzyme function.

Denaturation is the process of enzyme synthesis.

Denaturation increases enzyme activity.

8. How does pH affect enzyme activity?

Each enzyme has an optimal pH; deviance from this pH can reduce enzyme activity and lead to denaturation.

pH does not have any effect on enzyme activity.

All enzymes work best at a pH of 7.

Enzyme activity is highest at both extremes of the pH scale.

9. What is a coenzyme?

A coenzyme is a non-protein compound that helps an enzyme carry out its function.

A coenzyme is a protein that inhibits enzyme function.

A coenzyme is a type of enzyme.

A coenzyme is a substrate that reacts with an enzyme.

10. Can you name a factor, other than temperature and pH, that affects enzyme activity?

Substrate concentration can affect enzyme activity; increased concentration can increase activity up to a point.

Gravity is a factor that affects enzyme activity.

Enzymes are unaffected by any factors other than temperature and pH.

Color of the enzyme influences the activity.

11. What is an enzyme inhibitor?

An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to an enzyme and decreases its activity.

An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that speeds up enzyme activity.

An enzyme inhibitor is a type of enzyme that supports enzymes.

An enzyme inhibitor decomposes substrates.

12. What is competitive inhibition?

Competitive inhibition occurs when an inhibitor competes with the substrate for the active site of an enzyme.

Competitive inhibition is when two enzymes race to convert a substrate.

Competitive inhibition happens when substrates compete for binding to each other.

Competitive inhibition is the increase in enzyme production.

13. What is allosteric regulation in enzymes?

Allosteric regulation involves the binding of a molecule to a site other than the active site, changing enzyme activity.

Allosteric regulation applies when the enzyme undergoes reduction.

Allosteric regulation is the process of enzyme denaturation.

Allosteric regulation refers to enzymes binding to other enzymes.

14. How are enzymes used in the industry?

Enzymes are used in various industries, including detergents, food processing, and pharmaceuticals, to speed up chemical processes.

Enzymes are not used in industrial processes at all.

Enzymes are primarily used for temperature monitoring.

Enzymes decelerate chemical processes in industries.

15. What is the induced fit model?

The induced fit model suggests that enzyme binding to the substrate causes a change in the enzyme's shape to facilitate the reaction.

The induced fit model explains enzyme failure due to pressure changes.

The induced fit model describes enzyme destruction by substrates.

The induced fit model proposes that enzymes never change shape.