ENZYME ACTION: Lock and key compared to Induced Fit Model in lowering activation energy.

Miss Estruch2 minutes read

Enzymes are proteins with unique active sites that bind with substrates, lowering activation energy for reactions through the lock and key or induced fit models, which explain how enzymes interact with substrates to catalyze reactions efficiently. The induced fit model is widely accepted for how enzymes function, as it suggests that the active site adjusts its shape to accommodate substrates, reducing the energy needed for reactions and allowing enzymes to be reused.

Insights

  • Enzymes are tertiary structure proteins that catalyze reactions by binding with substrates at specific active sites, reducing the activation energy needed for reactions to occur.
  • Two models, the lock and key model and the induced fit model, explain how enzymes function by either fitting perfectly with substrates like a lock and key or by changing their shape to accommodate substrates, ultimately lowering activation energy for reactions.

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Recent questions

  • What are enzymes?

    Proteins that catalyze reactions by binding substrates.

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Summary

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Enzymes: Catalysts with Specific Active Sites

  • Enzymes are tertiary structure proteins that catalyze reactions by binding with substrates at their active sites, which are specific and unique shapes determined by the protein's tertiary structure.
  • Enzymes lower the activation energy required for reactions to occur, with two models explaining their function: the lock and key model, where the enzyme and substrate fit together like a lock and key, and the induced fit model, where the enzyme's active site changes shape to mold around the substrate, weakening bonds and lowering activation energy.
  • The lock and key model suggests that enzymes and substrates combine due to their complementary shapes, forming enzyme-substrate complexes that distort the substrate's shape, while the induced fit model proposes that the active site changes shape to fit the substrate, putting strain on bonds and reducing the energy needed for the reaction.
  • Enzymes can be reused as their active sites return to their original shape after the reaction, with the induced fit model being the accepted explanation for how enzymes function by slightly changing shape to accommodate substrates and lower activation energy.
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