MPharm PHA112 Enzymes Lectures Summary

Functions and Types of Enzymes

• Enzymes primarily function as biological catalysts, speeding up chemical reactions in living organisms.
• The most common type of enzymes are globular proteins that facilitate metabolic processes by lowering activation energy.

RNA and Enzymatic Activity

• Ribozymes are examples of RNA that can act as enzymes, exhibiting catalytic properties similar to proteins.

Enzyme Specificity

• Enzyme specificity for substrates is determined by the unique three-dimensional shape of the enzyme and the active site's compatibility with the substrate.

Enzyme Kinetics

• The Michaelis-Menten plot is associated with enzyme kinetics, illustrating the relationship between substrate concentration and reaction rate.

pH and Enzyme Function

• Small changes in pH can affect enzyme function by altering the charge and shape of the active site, potentially diminishing catalytic activity.
• The optimum pH range for most human enzymes is typically around 6 to 8, where they exhibit peak activity.

Effects of Extreme pH

• Extreme pH levels can lead to denaturation of enzymes, resulting in the loss of their functional shape and activity.

Salinity and Enzyme Function

• Changes in salinity can influence enzyme function, as ions can disrupt the ionic bonds and interactions that maintain enzyme structure.

Enzyme Reaction Rates

• The study of the rates of chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes is known as enzyme kinetics, focusing on how factors like substrate concentration and environmental conditions affect reaction speeds.

Summary of lectures for MPharm PHA112 Enzymes covering enzyme structure, classification, co-factors, cellular metabolism, enzyme function, substrate interaction, kinetics, and inhibition.