Topic 4.

Enzymes

What are enzymes?

How do you eat
an elephant?
 Definition of Enzymes
Enzymes are
• proteins produced by living cells
• biological catalysts
• Catalysts alter rate of chemical reactions
without themselves being changed at the end of
the reaction.
Example of a Catalysts Reaction

• MnO2 is an inorganic catalyst .

 Types of
Enzyme Catalysed Reactions

Synthesis

Breakdown
 Synthesis
Types of
Enzyme
Catalysed
Reactions
• building of complex substances
from simpler ones
e.g amino acids proteins
Types of Breakdown
Enzyme
Catalysed
• breakdown of complex
Reactions substances to simple
substances

e.g oxidation of glucose to

release energy and form
carbon dioxide & water
 Types of
Enzyme Catalysed Reactions
 • Breakdown of complex
Digestion food substances into
an example of an simpler, smaller,
enzyme catalysed soluble & diffusible
process substances.

Why?
 Answer
So that food substances are small enough to
pass through the cell membranes and be
absorbed into the blood stream
 Other examples of enzyme-catalysed
reactions
• Cellular Respiration (a catabolic reaction)
– Oxidation of glucose to release energy
– Involves many enzymes
• Protein Synthesis (an anabolic reaction)
– Synthesis of protein from amino acids
• Photosynthesis (an anabolic reaction)
– Synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide
 Other examples of enzyme-catalysed
reactions
• Detoxification
– Conversion of toxic substances to non-toxic ones.
 Classification & Naming
• Classification of Enzymes
– according to the type of chemical reactions they
catalyse

• Naming of Enzymes
– name the substrate on which they act on;
– suffix “ase”
 Example: Hydrolases
• hydro = water; lysis = splitting

• Water is needed to breakdown complex food into

simple substances.

• Hydrolases = hydrolytic enzymes

• Example of hydrolysis - Digestion

 Hydrolases
• Carbohydrases - breakdown carbohydrates

• Lipases - breakdown lipids

• Proteases - breakdown proteins.

 Characteristics of Enzymes
Enzymes are highly specific in action.

Eg. Lipases will only breakdown fats, not

proteins
Amylase breakdowns down starch, not
sucrose
 Proteins are produced by living cells.

Properties Function as catalysts and increases

rate of chemical reactions.
of Enzymes

Only a small amount of enzyme

is needed to catalyse a relatively large mount of
reaction.

Enzymes are not changed during a

reaction.
• The same enzyme can be used to catalyse
reaction with another substrate molecule
• They are reusable
 Substances on which enzymes act are
called substrates
Properties
of Enzymes Enzymes are Specific in action.
Has active site which will fit a
particular substrate.
• Amylase will only act on starch
• proteases will only act on proteins

Each chemical reaction will only be

catalysed by a unique enzyme
 Protein Biological
In Catalysts
Nature
Not Chemically
Enzymes changed
Specific

Active Sites Types

Synthesis

Breakdown
What is the
‘Lock & Key’
Hypothesis and why is
it called so?
TheLock • In the lock & key hypothesis, enzyme action

and Key depends on its active site

Hypothesis • sites are depressions on the surface of an enzyme
molecule into which a complementary substrate
molecule(s) can fit--like a lock & key
Active
Sites
• upon substrate binding, the enzyme-substrate
complex brings about the necessary reactions

• the product formed separates, leaving the

enzyme molecule unchanged and free to combine
again with more substrate molecules
The Lock and Key Hypothesis
Effect of Temperature on enzyme
activity

Enzymes have an
optimum working
temperature, often but
NOT always close to
that at which they
usually function.
Effect of Temperature on enzyme
activity
At low temperature
(<50C), enzymes are
inactivated.
As temperature rises,
rate of enzyme activity
increases (usually 2x as
active for every 100C
rise)
Effect of Temperature on enzyme
activity
• When optimum
temperature is reached,
we can say that rate of
enzyme activity is
highest (maximum)

• Shown here at Point K

Effect of Temperature on enzyme
activity
• Beyond the optimum
temperature, rate of enzyme
activity decreases.

• Until enzyme is completely

denatured by the extreme
heat (>600C), rate of enzyme
activity comes to a complete
halt (shown at D).
 Important Concepts
• Rate of enzyme activity depends on kinetic
energy (K.E.) of molecules.

• Rise in temp. = rise in K.E. of molecules = rise

in collision between enzyme & substrate
molecules, thus giving rise in enzyme activity.
 Important Concepts
• Inactivation
– minimal enzyme activity
– due to very slow speed of movement of substrate &
enzyme molecules
– activity can be restored when temperature rises. It is
not permanent.
 Important Concepts
• Optimum Temperature – maximum rate of
enzyme activity.

• At high temperature – denaturation occurs

 Denaturation
• Enzymes is said to be denatured when its 3-dimensional protein
structure changes its shape.
• This results in the loss/alteration of its active
sites.
• It becomes less soluble and coagulates.
• It can no longer acts as a catalyst.
• Acids, alkalis and extreme heat (boiling) brings
about denaturation.
Effect of pH on enzyme activity
• Enzymes are affected by
the acidity or alkalinity
of the solutions.

• M indicates optimum pH
at which the enzyme
activity is maximum.
Effect of pH on enzyme activity
• As medium becomes
more acidic or more
alkaline, enzyme activity
decreases.

• At pH 4 and pH 9,
enzyme is completely
denatured.
 Important Concept
• Slight changes in pH values above or below the
optimum pH will decrease enzyme activity,
these effects are reversible (restoring pH
towards optimum restores activity)
• However at in extreme pH conditions will
irreversibly denature enzymes.
Effect of Enzyme/ Substrate
concentration
• Increase in substrate
concentration will
increase enzyme activity
under fixed enzyme
concentration but only
until saturation point X.
Effect of Enzyme/ Substrate
concentration
• At saturation point X,
further increase in
substrate concentration
does not increase the rate
of reaction any further.
• Why? At any instant, all
the enzyme molecules
are being made use of.
They are saturated
Effect of Enzyme/ Substrate
concentration

• Amount of products
formed per unit time
remains the same despite
increase in substrate
concentration.
Important Concept
• Enzyme concentration is
the limiting factor when
saturation point X is
reached.
 What is Limiting Factor?
• Any factor that directly affects the rate of
reaction at which a process (such as a chemical
reaction) occurs if its quantity is changed.

• The value of this factor has to be increased in

order to increase the rate of the process.
Important Concept
• When enzyme
concentration is
increased, rate of
reaction increases
(shown in graph II).
• But when it reaches
point Y, the rate remains
constant as enzyme
concentration becomes a
limiting factor again.
Characteristics of Enzymes
• Some enzymes requires
co-enzymes to be bound
to them before they can
catalyse reactions.

• Such coenzymes are

non-protein organic
compounds eg. B
complex vitamins
Action of Inhibitors
• Type 1 – substrate is
prevented from binding
to active site by
inhibitor.
• Type 2 – binding of
inhibitor does not
prevent the binding of
substrate but slows down
reaction speed.