5 Questions
What is the specific sequence called in which many enzyme catalyzed reactions occur in a cell?
biochemical pathway
How do cells shut down a pathway when the end product is not needed?
Feedback inhibition
What happens when the product binds to the allosteric site of the enzyme?
The enzyme undergoes a conformational change and can no longer react with its substrate.
Why is it unnecessary and wasteful for cells to continue producing a product when it becomes available in the environment?
It is unnecessary and wasteful because the cells have the ability to shut down the pathway through feedback inhibition.
What is the site on the enzyme that is different from the active site and where the end product of the pathway binds to shut down the pathway?
Allosteric site
Study Notes
- Enzyme-catalyzed reactions in a cell, such as those involved in amino acid biosynthesis, occur in a specific sequence known as a biochemical pathway.
- In a biochemical pathway, the product of one reaction serves as the substrate for the next reaction.
- When the end product of a pathway, like an amino acid, becomes available in the environment, it is unnecessary for the cells to continue producing it, leading to pathway shutdown.
- Feedback inhibition is a mechanism by which the end product of a pathway regulates its own production.
- The end product binds to the first enzyme unique to the pathway at an allosteric site, causing a conformational change and preventing it from reacting with its substrate.
- With the substrate unavailable, subsequent steps in the pathway are halted, and the final product is no longer synthesized.
Explore the concept of biochemical pathways and feedback inhibition in cellular processes. Learn how the end product of a pathway regulates its own production through feedback inhibition, leading to pathway shutdown.
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